Similar to long COVID, people may experience "long colds," researchers find

Some people may experience "long colds," or long-term symptoms following common colds, flu, pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses, similar to the pattern seen in long COVID, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London.

Published in The Lancet's EClinicalMedicine journal Friday, researchers found that even people with acute respiratory infections who tested negative for COVID-19 could still experience long-term symptoms at least 4 weeks after infection, including coughing, stomach pain and diarrhea. Those with long COVID were more likely to report ongoing problems with sense of taste or smell, lightheadedness or dizziness.

While researchers did not measure duration differences between the "long cold" and long COVID symptoms, they did find people in both groups were more likely to report more severe symptoms if they had been previously infected.