Long COVID
What is long COVID? It is a term to describe when some people who have been infected with the COVID virus experience long-term symptoms lasting for weeks, months or longer. Estimates of the proportion of patients who will report symptoms 12–24 weeks after their infection range from about 30% to 70% and recently, 55% of the people in China reported having at least 1 symptom, 2 years after their initial COVID infection.
Long COVID symptoms commonly reported:
- Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life, depression, anxiety
- Fever, headache, stomach pain, diarrhea, change in smell or taste
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; cough, chest pain, fast-beating heart,
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating (brain fog)
- Sleep problems; joint or muscle pain; Pins-and-needles feelings
In addition, the COVID virus has been found in organs throughout the body. As a result, some people are experiencing new health conditions that affect the heart, lung, kidney, and brain including heart and neurological conditions and diabetes.
What you should know:
- The likelihood of experiencing long COVID is greater when the COVID illness was more severe, but anyone who has been infected with the COVID virus can experience Long COVID, even those who had mild illness or no symptoms at all with the original infection.
- There is no test to diagnose long COVID conditions which can make it difficult for healthcare providers to recognize long COVID.
- The causes of long COVID symptoms are unknown but are currently being researched. Some theories include lingering hidden virus particles in various organs of the body, faulty immune systems, and micro clots. No single theory is likely to explain the variety of symptoms. For more information regarding these theories go to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (pnas.org).
- No solutions have been found to alleviate long COVID symptoms but there are volunteer trials underway to try to find causality and treatment for long COVID symptoms. The Biden administration pledged 1 billion dollars to help with long COVID research. To look into being a part of a research trial go to https://recoverCOVID.org
- The best way to prevent long COVID is to protect yourself and others from becoming infected. In addition, getting vaccinated, and staying up to date with vaccines to protect against severe illness, may be useful. People who are vaccinated, but experience breakthrough infection are less likely to report long COVID conditions in comparison to those unvaccinated.
Source: Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions | CDC
