If you have these 2 COVID symptoms you could end up...

While there may not be a “good” COVID symptom, some are definitely worse than others. As scientists find out more about this mysterious virus, it is becoming increasingly clear that certain symptoms pose problems for the course of the disease. A recent study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that two severe COVID symptoms in particular may indicate a higher likelihood of hospitalization in patients with long-term COVID cases. However, to the naked eye, they don’t seem any worse than others. These symptoms are persistent fever and loss of appetite.

The research team behind the study used an app to collect data from over 4,100 COVID patients and found that approximately 13 percent of participants had “long-COVID,” a prolonged illness that lasted at least 28 days. Another in 20 patients was sick for eight weeks, and one in 50 patients was sick for twelve weeks. Among these protracted cases, patients who developed five or more symptoms in the first week were more likely to have longer cases.

But even within the long COVID group, two symptoms stood out as early predictors of complications that ultimately led these patients disproportionately to hospital. “In people with long duration, persistent fever and skipped meals were strong predictors of a subsequent hospital visit,” the study explains. This means that among the groups who have suffered the longest from coronavirus, people with these two serious COVID symptoms were the hardest hit.

Although the study warned against generalization based on its analysis and was quick to point out its own limitations (in particular that the subjects were predominantly female, younger than 70, and responsible for self-reporting their own data), it did could help doctors detect serious cases of COVID earlier. Read on to find more signs that you may have a case of long-term COVID, and for a more detailed list of clues about coronavirus, check out the 51 Most Common COVID Symptoms That May Occur.