The Omicron strain manifests itself in a number of atypical symptoms. Scientists have named its characteristic features. Pay attention to them so as not to confuse covid with other diseases.
The good news is that in the vast majority of cases, Omicron causes a milder course of the disease than other coronavirus strains. The bad news is that it is often very difficult to recognize. Firstly, it is able to bypass the immune defense of a person (both after the transferred covid and after vaccination). Therefore, even fully vaccinated people get sick with it. Secondly, its symptoms are very different from those that we are used to associating with Covid-19. Therefore, Omicron is often confused with influenza or adenovirus.
We recently wrote about the first symptoms of the Omicron strainthat are worth paying attention to. According to the observations of doctors from South Africa (where, in fact, this mutation originated), the disease begins with a sore throat, hoarseness, hoarseness and lower back pain. Also, in the early stages of the disease, many patients note such a phenomenon as Brain fog - This is lethargy, inability to concentrate, pathological forgetfulness and inattention.
In just a couple of weeks, the list of the first signs of the disease has expanded significantly. Now scientists from different countries are advising to pay attention to the following symptoms:
Migraine and headaches. This is one of the most common symptoms of Omicron today: as observed by the British virologist Lawrence Young, 80% of patients suffer from headaches of varying intensity coronavirus. Interestingly, this symptom can bother a person even after recovery, says South African psychiatrist Emad Estemalik. At the same time, the expert says that standard pain relievers do not work in this case, and can even cause a "reverse effect" - that is, an increase in the headache.
Often migraines remain with a person even after recovering from covid / istockphoto.com
Pathological fatigue. This is a typical symptom for covid, but in the case of Omicron, it begins to manifest itself in the early stages of the disease (even before more obvious symptoms appear). A person for no apparent reason feels severe fatigue, weakness and loss of strength.
Sore throat. More than half of all coronavirus patients complain of this symptom, according to the ZOE Covid app. Please note that the sore throat with Omicron is not too intense, and usually goes away without any treatment in 4-5 days. At the same time, it is almost not accompanied by a cough: the ZOE Covid notes that only three out of ten patients complained of a cough.
Nasal congestion and sneezing. Symptoms such as nasal congestion and sneezing are experienced by 60% of patients in the early stages of the disease. According to ZOE Covid statistics, it is frequent sneezing that "betrays" covid infection in vaccinated patients.
Conjunctivitis. An atypical symptom of the coronavirus, which is characteristic of the Omicron strain, is conjunctivitis or red eye syndrome. According to the medical publication Healthline, a new mutation of covid can enter the human body, "disguising" as an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2). Receptors for this enzyme are located on the retina and epithelial cells that line the eyelid and eyeball. Therefore, the "invasion" of infection is often accompanied by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye.
One of the new symptoms of Omicron's disease is conjunctivitis / istockphoto.com
Hair loss. Hair loss by itself is not considered a typical symptom of the coronavirus. However, the American Academy of Dermatology notes that about a quarter of covid patients complain of alopecia (increased hair loss). First of all, this is due to the fact that the virus "hits" the blood vessels, due to which blood circulation in the hair growth zone is disturbed and the nutrition of the hair follicles worsens. Hair loss can also be a reaction to a high temperature that lasts longer than 3 days.
Loss of taste and smell. Complete loss of taste and smell is a rare symptom for Omicron. More often than not, people complain that their gustatory or olfactory sensations have changed: the food tastes differently than it used to be, and the usual things start to smell differently.
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