Oct 24, 2020 (NHK) - A Japanese research team says some survivors of COVID-19 have suffered from shortness of breath, smell disturbance and loss of hair months after leaving hospital.
The team from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine interviewed people who were treated for COVID-19 in hospital and were discharged between February and June.
The researchers said 63 people, with an average age of 48.1, responded to the survey.
Seven people, or about 11 percent, complained of shortness of breath about four months after the onset of the disease.
Six people, or about 10 percent, complained of fatigue or smell disturbance, followed by four people, or about six percent, with coughing. One person, or about two percent, complained of having a taste disorder.
Of the 58 respondents who agreed to an additional study, nine men and five women, or about 25 percent, said they experienced loss of hair about two months after the onset of the disease.
Five of them said they recovered in about two-and-a-half months, but the remaining nine were still suffering from loss of hair at the time of the survey. Some of the nine had only recently developed the symptoms.
Loss of hair is a condition reported among survivors of Ebola and dengue fever.
Doctor Morioka Shinichiro, a member of the team, says the loss of hair may also be attributable to psychological stress from prolonged treatment. He also says he hopes to continue the research to explore the causes of the aftereffects.
