{"id":854719,"date":"2026-09-20T21:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T21:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854719\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T21:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T21:28:11","slug":"a-common-virus-could-nearly-quadruple-odds-of-back-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854719\/","title":{"rendered":"A common virus could nearly quadruple odds of back problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

A common virus could cause more than just a cough.<\/p>\n

With cold and flu season<\/a> quickly approaching as summer turns to fall, the chances of getting sick from influenza or COVID are also increasing.<\/p>\n

And a new study<\/a> from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada indicates unexpected risks from one virus in particular.<\/p>\n

\"AA new study Canadian health agencies found an unexpected connection between a common virus and back problems. Clement Coetzee\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The CDC recently reported<\/a> that more people are seeking emergency medical care for COVID-19, and is increasing across the country.<\/p>\n

As the potential for cases increases, research published in the\u00a0Canada Communicable Disease Report found a link between the virus and the chances of being diagnosed with a new medical condition.<\/p>\n

Analyzing data from 8,809 adults between April 2022 and June 2023, researchers found that those who had COVID twice had 76% higher odds of receiving a new diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Repeat infections were associated with nearly four times the odds of new back problems, while the chances of receiving a new respiratory diagnosis were connected to a five times increase.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, those who experienced one infection also saw 63% odds of a new medical diagnosis.<\/p>\n

And those who had symptoms that lingered<\/a> for three months or longer had more than three times the odds.<\/p>\n

These findings come on the heels of the CDC estimating earlier this month that COVID infections are currently increasing<\/a> or likely to in 35 states.<\/p>\n

The researchers behind the study believe that because those with long-lasting or severe symptoms visit their doctors more often, they\u2019re more likely to get a diagnosis for an unrelated condition as well.<\/p>\n

\"AThose with COVID twice had 76% higher odds of a new diagnosis and nearly four times the odds of new back problems. My Ocean studio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

They also estimate that prolonged symptoms may be due to an undiagnosed condition, in a reverse-causation pattern.<\/p>\n

New diagnoses were concentrated among older adults, as well as those who smoked, had obesity, a disability or were living with at least one existing health condition.<\/p>\n

The study also found that adults who weren\u2019t fully vaccinated before their first infection had higher odds of a diagnosis for a new medical condition, such as cardiovascular conditions and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

These findings follow the categories of people who are high-risk for severe COVID, including adults 65 and older, immunocompromised people, those with multiple chronic conditions<\/a> and anyone without an up-to-date vaccine.<\/p>\n

The researchers emphasize that the findings are not an absolute risk of getting sick or discovering a new health condition.<\/p>\n

Rather, they\u2019re the chances of one group (those who had COVID twice) getting a new diagnosis compared to another.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin released a study suggesting that COVID-19 can flip the switch on long-dormant viruses quietly hiding inside the bodies of unvaccinated people who were otherwise healthy.<\/p>\n

This included Epstein-Barr virus and other members of the herpes family, which can lurk in the body for years before flaring up.<\/p>\n

With peak COVID season coming up and potential infections already increasing, experts recommend that high-risk groups ensure their vaccinations are updated.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, those who have been infected twice and have developed persistent symptoms, including breathlessness, fatigue or chest pain, should discuss them with a doctor instead of solely attributing them to COVID.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A common virus could cause more than just a cough. With cold and flu season quickly approaching as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[8235,12563,6883,97,55447,1494,3284,10650,10641],"class_list":["post-854719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-back","tag-breathing","tag-coronavirus","tag-health","tag-infections","tag-medical-disorders","tag-study-says","tag-vaccines","tag-virus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}