Coronavirus patients in South Korea experienced side effects such as hair loss, fatigue and decreased breathing capacity months after they recovered from the infection, according to a survey of health authorities.

Three months after they recovered from COVID-19, the most common side effects survivors had was hair loss and shortness of breath during exercise, according to a survey on 40 recovered coronavirus patients by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Six months after the recovery, fatigue was the most common side effect, Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the KDCA, said at a briefing Thursday, announcing the interim result of its research into coronavirus side effects.

Some patients showed lingering troubles in their lungs three months after they had recovered from the virus, but most of the symptoms began to disappear around six months after. Some patients reported pulmonary fibrosis in lung tissue, according to Kwon.

The decreased capacity of lung functions and pulmonary fibrosis in the lung tissue were mostly found among patients aged 60 or over with severe symptoms, he said.

Some survivors also suffered psychological or mental aftereffects such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Over time, there was a tendency in the level of depression decreasing and that of PTSD increasing, according to the survey results.

An earlier survey conducted last year on 965 recovered patients showed that 91.1 percent were suffering at least one side effect from the disease. The most common symptom was fatigue at 26.2 percent, followed by decline in concentration at 24.6 percent, according to the survey.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)