The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has surpassed 203 million globally, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Although symptoms may vary depending on your immune system and any pre-existing conditions you may have, most people develop mild to moderate symptoms that last two to three weeks. However, some patients experience symptoms beyond four weeks of contracting COVID. This is known as long COVID or post-acute COVID-19.
One in five COVID patients experience symptoms after five weeks and 10 percent of people with a SARS-CoV-2 infection have symptoms that persist beyond 12 weeks.
What causes long COVID?
Experts haven't put a clear cause to what causes long COVID, but they have their speculations. One possibility is the infection can cause an immune system to go into overdrive and attack not just the virus, but a person's tissues as well. This is common in people who have very strong immune responses.
The damaged cells caused by the virus can lead to symptoms such as brain fog and a loss of smell and taste. Damage to blood vessels could lead to heart, lung and brain problems.
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Another possibility is that fragments from the virus could lay dormant in the body and eventually become reactivated. This is known to happen with diseases such as herpes and the Epstein Barr.
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Who gets long Covid?
Research shows that age plays a major part in whether or not you develop long COVID.
About one to two percent of people in their 20s developed long COVID compared with five percent of people in their 60s, according to health record databases by King's College London. Although one to two percent may seem like low numbers, study author Dr. Claire Steves points out that one to two percent of 100,000 cases is a lot of people. Despite the symptoms being less common in younger people, they could still have a bigger impact on them.
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Women are also twice as likely to develop long COVID. If you got extremely ill or had to go to the hospital,
you are more likely to develop long COVID.
As expected having pre-existing health conditions also plays a role in whether or not you develop long COVID.
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Symptoms
A study conducted by University College London (UCL) identified 200 symptoms affecting 10 organ systems in people with long COVID, at higher levels than in people who were fully recovered.
However, researchers were able to narrow down the most common symptoms of long COVID:
- Fatigue
- Difficulty breathing
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Headaches
- Altered sense of smell and taste
- Heart palpitations
- Chest pain or tightness
- Problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
Long COVID can also cause complications involving multiple organ systems, including the respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems.
Additionally, long COVID patients that were hospitalized are at a higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Those who contracted COVID are also at risk of long-lasting health complications including:
- Heart inflammation
- Impaired lung function
- Other lung-related abnormalities
- Diminished kidney function
- Neurological abnormalities
Can children get long COVID?
For children, most of the symptoms are short-lived. However, a small portion of children had long-lasting symptoms. The good news is that 98 percent of the children who had lingering symptoms recovered after eight weeks, according to a study from King's College London.
Can the vaccine help?
About half of people with long COVID had an improvement in symptoms after getting vaccinated. Experts say this could be because the vaccine possibly reset their immune system response, which helps the body attack any remaining fragments of the virus.
Although vaccinated people can get long COVID, doctors say it's rare.
Additionally, it can be useful for those who don't have the virus to get vaccinated because they are most likely to have mild symptoms if they do contract it.
How do you know if you have long COVID?
Researchers are currently working on a blood test that would be able to determine if someone has long COVID. In the meantime, if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above you should visit your doctor immediately. Your doctor will run tests to rule out any other possibilities such as diabetes, thyroid function and iron deficiency before making a diagnosis.
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Treating symptoms
Guidelines on how to treat long COVID are still evolving, however, there are some steps you could take:
- Physical therapy: If you experienced any lung-related abnormalities, you can undergo physical therapy and respiratory or pulmonary rehabilitation after your condition stabilizes. This can provide benefits to patients that have not been hospitalized. Make sure you express your symptoms to clinicians in order to receive the appropriate care.
- Seek mental health services: People with long COVID, who experienced anxiety, depression, and PTSD should undergo screening and get the appropriate mental health service. Those who experience social isolation and stigmatization may also opt to seek social services support.
- Seek a team of medical professionals: Having a team of medical professionals that make decisions and manage your long Covid is necessary for successful rehabilitation because treating your symptoms in an uncoordinated manner can make your condition worse.
You can also opt to try self-reporting and remote patient monitoring. This involves using wearable devices that track vital signs. This can help clinicians identify at-risk individuals.
