01 September 2023 , 09:27
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A new strain of Covid, known as BA.5, is reportedly causing an unusual nocturnal symptom as it continues to spread.
This strain, considered the "sibling" of Omicron that swept across the nation in winter 2021, has become dominant after overtaking its predecessor several weeks ago.
While BA.5 shares similar symptoms with Omicron, it brings an unwelcome addition to the list - night sweats. Many infected individuals have reported experiencing this unpleasant symptom.
During an interview with Irish radio station NewsTalk, Luke O'Neill, a professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin, remarked: "One extra symptom from BA.5 I saw this morning is night sweats. Isn't that strange?"
Currently, BA.5 accounts for approximately 65 per cent of Covid cases in the US, according to the CDC, and similar levels are suspected in the UK. Scientists speculate that its severity may be akin to Omicron's, potentially causing fewer severe cases and deaths than previous strains like Alpha and Delta. However, like Omicron, BA.5 is believed to be more transmissible, Daily Star reports.
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The new Covid strain comes with a particular nocturnal symptom (Getty Images)Emerging evidence suggests that BA.5 might possess a higher capability to re-infect patients compared to earlier strains. Professor O'Neill attributed the difference in symptoms to genetic changes in the virus and the way our immune system responds to infection.
"The disease is slightly different because the virus has changed," he explained, adding, "There is some immunity to it obviously with the T-cells and so on."
In a peculiar twist, the interplay between your immune system and the slightly altered virus might result in a somewhat different disease manifestation, with night sweats emerging as a distinctive symptom.
According to the ZOE Covid Study app, among individuals who have received two or more doses of the vaccine, the most frequently reported Covid symptoms include a runny nose, headache, sneezing, sore throat, and a persistent cough.
The NHS defines night sweats as an excessive sweating during sleep that leaves your nightwear and bedding drenched, despite sleeping in a cool environment.
Apart from the BA.5 variant, other common triggers for night sweats encompass anxiety, menopausal symptoms, hypoglycemia, certain medications, substance abuse, and a benign condition known as hyperhidrosis, which causes individuals to sweat excessively at all times.
Although rare, night sweats can occasionally be an indicator of a more serious underlying condition or may occur without any identifiable cause.
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