Key TakeawaysCOVID-19 can lead to rare complications.New research breaks down exactly how often these rare complications occur.Some of these complications can be serious and deadly. Vaccination can help prevent them.

Key Takeaways

COVID-19 can lead to rare complications.New research breaks down exactly how often these rare complications occur.Some of these complications can be serious and deadly. Vaccination can help prevent them.

The list of common COVID-19 symptoms hasn’t changed much over the course of the pandemic: fever, cough, fatigue, congestion, loss of smell and taste, etc.But some people with the virus can also experience symptoms and complications that many others don’t.

After the analysis, the researchers came up with a list of atypical COVID-19 complications, as well as how often they happened in patients.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Prevalence of Atypical COVID-19 Complications

Gastrointestinal System Complications

Seven research studies highlighted several gastrointestinal symptoms:

To learn more about the outcomes of these symptoms, researchers turned to case reports. Among 19 patients with gastrointestinal complications from COVID observed in 14 case reports, nine patients died, five were cured, and four were still hospitalized and undergoing treatment when the study period ended.

Neurological System Complications

Neurological complicationsof COVID-19 were reflected in 14 research studies:

Again, researchers relied on case reports to learn about potential outcomes of these neurological symptoms. Of the 11 patients observed in 10 case reports, seven patients were cured, and two were still hospitalized and receiving treatment at the end of the study period.

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Renal System Complications

The renal system—also known as the urinary system—consists of the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra.Researchers observed renal system complications in 16 studies:

The data about potential outcomes of these symptoms is reflective of only seven patients across seven case studies. Of those, five were cured or improved, one patient died, and one patient was discharged but wasn’t completely cured.

Cardiovascular System Complications

Eighteen research studies exploredcardiovascular system complicationsof COVID:

Based on limited data from 11 case reports of people who experienced these complications, five patients improved or were cured, and two died.

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Why These Findings Matter

These findings are valuable for doctors because they help clinicians understand the full scope of what the virus can do to a person, infectious disease expertAmesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Verywell.

What’s not clear from the findings is whether being vaccinated against COVID-19 lowered the odds of developing these rare complications.

“I anticipate that vaccination might prevent these complications from occurring,”William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Verywell. “Some of these are quite serious.”

But Adalja said that it’s difficult to know for sure.

“[Vaccine protection] will vary depending upon the actual causes of the symptoms, because many symptoms are the result of the immune response to the virus combined with the direct actions of the virus,” he said.

The researchers urged healthcare practitioners in the study to monitor COVID-19 patients for these complications and not focus exclusively on treating respiratory symptoms.

“Post-COVID effects should be monitored, and follow-up of patients should be performed on a regular basis to check for long-term complications,” the researchers wrote.

What This Means For YouThese complications of COVID-19 are still relatively rare. However, if you are struggling with your health after having a COVID-19 infection or you are developing new symptoms, talk to your doctor. They should be able to give you a full evaluation to see what could be behind your symptoms.

What This Means For You

These complications of COVID-19 are still relatively rare. However, if you are struggling with your health after having a COVID-19 infection or you are developing new symptoms, talk to your doctor. They should be able to give you a full evaluation to see what could be behind your symptoms.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Mallhi TH, Safdar A, Butt MH, et al.Atypical complications during the course of COVID-19: a comprehensive review.Medicina. 2024;60(1):164. doi:10.3390/medicina60010164National Cancer Institute.Components of the urinary system.

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Mallhi TH, Safdar A, Butt MH, et al.Atypical complications during the course of COVID-19: a comprehensive review.Medicina. 2024;60(1):164. doi:10.3390/medicina60010164National Cancer Institute.Components of the urinary system.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Mallhi TH, Safdar A, Butt MH, et al.Atypical complications during the course of COVID-19: a comprehensive review.Medicina. 2024;60(1):164. doi:10.3390/medicina60010164National Cancer Institute.Components of the urinary system.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.

Mallhi TH, Safdar A, Butt MH, et al.Atypical complications during the course of COVID-19: a comprehensive review.Medicina. 2024;60(1):164. doi:10.3390/medicina60010164

National Cancer Institute.Components of the urinary system.

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