According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), long-term Covid is “a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months after being infected by the virus that causes Covid-19 for the first time or they can appear weeks after infection. “
Unfortunately, they don’t exist yet formal diagnostic guidelines to confirm that someone suffers from long-term Covid. Although the CDC is working on a list for practitioners, anyone concerned about their health for now needs to do their own research and discuss their symptoms with their doctor.
“People could be suffering from a long-term Covid and not know it because they have not acquired the necessary knowledge to identify themselves as carriers,” he told Business Insider Fidaa Shaib, a pulmonologist at Baylor College of Medicine’s Long-Term Covid Clinic.
Long-term Covid is presented with a wide variety of symptomsShaib added, making it difficult for doctors to spot it. This is, in part, why estimates of the duration of Covid vary widely. A large UK study found that roughly one in 10 Covid-19 survivors will develop long-lasting Covid, defined as experiencing persistent symptoms for more than three weeks after infection. Meanwhile, an estimate from the University of Washington places the figure closer to one in three patients with Covid-19.
Ziyad Al-Aly, epidemiologist and chief of research at a Veterans Affairs teaching hospital in St. Louis, told Insider that the syndrome “can affect almost every organ in the body.”
It is not yet clear if the symptoms of prolonged Covid are caused directly by the virus or if some are caused by the stress and trauma of the infection and the pandemic. Regardless, people need urgent help managing their symptoms, Shaib said, especially those associated with chronic diseases.
These are the 12 ways where people can be affected by long-term Covid.
‘Brain fog’
One in five patients experienced brain fog (brain fog) six months after having Covid-19, according to an analysis of 51 studies on long-standing Covid that has not yet been peer-reviewed. This symptom is independent of whether the patients had been hospitalized or not.
Fatigue
Six out of 10 Covid-19 survivors who had been hospitalized reported fatigue and muscle weakness six months later, according to a Chinese study. Both ‘brain fog’ and fatigue are also hallmarks of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Trouble sleeping
One in five long-term Covid patients reported having trouble sleeping six months after becoming ill, according to the analysis of 51 studies.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough
Shortness of breath and a persistent cough are common among Covid-19 survivors one to six months after infection, according to a study of more than 73,000 people in the United States.
Heart problems
Palpitations and irregular heartbeats were common among Covid-19 survivors, according to the study cited above. Covid-19 survivors also had an increased risk of developing heart failure, atherosclerosis, and blood clots within six months of infection. Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, has also been seen in patients with prolonged Covid.
Neurological symptoms and mental illness
More than a third of survivors experience Covid-19 symptoms or mental illness within six months of infection, a large study found. Anxiety and mood disorders, such as depression, were the most common.
Loss of smell
Among those who lost their sense of smell after Covid-19, about a third did not regain their sense for two months or more, according to a small survey conducted in the United States.
Bowel symptoms, loss of appetite, or diarrhea
A small study from China found that more than 40% of hospitalized Covid-19 patients reported gut-related problems three months after their primary infection. The most common symptoms were loss of appetite, nausea, acid reflux, and diarrhea.
Skin rashes and hair loss
Covid-19 survivors reported skin rashes six months after infection, according to the study conducted in the US A study from China documented hair loss among 22% of patients six months after hospitalization for Covid -19.
Chest tightness, joint and muscle pain
In a survey on prolonged Covid symptoms published in December, nine out of 10 people reported symptoms such as chest tightness, muscle aches and joint pain one month after infection. These symptoms persisted for at least seven months for some. However, the data has not yet been peer reviewed.
Diabetes
According to a study in the US, patients with long-term Covid were 39% more likely to receive a new diagnosis of diabetes in the six months after infection.
Nephropathy
Those who survived Covid-19 were also at increased risk of developing acute kidney disease.
Other symptoms
Additionally, long-term Covid patients have reported a number of other symptoms that scientists have not yet been able to measure or confirm.
For example, some women with prolonged Covid have reported irregular periods and worse PMSl. Other patients have said that they have had severe tinnitus, that is, a persistent ringing in the ears.
Although some people with long-standing Covid reported that their symptoms improved after vaccination, others said they worsened.
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