The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet. However, indicators suggest that its incidence is receding and even if the virus is here to stay, thanks to vaccines its effects are becoming milder in the general population.
After overcoming the disease from infection, many patients experience various symptoms associated with Covid-19. It is what is known as persistent or prolonged Covid and prevents people who suffer from it can perform daily activitieslike work or housework, normally.
What are the symptoms of persistent Covid?
The Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG) estimates that around 15% of adult patients who have had the disease and between 5% and 10% of children suffer from persistent Covid. These are some of its most frequent symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Symptoms that get worse after doing this physical or mental exertion
- Fever
- Difficult breathing
- Shortness of breath and cough
- Difficulty think or concentrate
- Headache
- Problems to sleep
- dizziness when you get up
- Feeling of bites
- Loss of smell or taste
- depression or anxiety
- Ache joint or muscle
- Chest pain
- heartbeat rapid or palpitations
- Diarrhea
- Stomach ache
- clots
- problems of the blood vessels (vascular)
- pulmonary embolism
- Rash
- Changes in the menstrual cycle
How long does it take for patients to recover?
This was discovered by a study conducted by McMaster University in Canada most people infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus recover within 12 months, regardless of severity.
However, although 75% recovered within 12 months after getting sick with the virus, Twenty-five percent of patients still had at least one of the three most common symptomsincluding cough, fatigue and shortness of breath. The researchers also found that patients with persistent symptoms also had antibodies associated with autoimmune diseases, as well as elevated levels of cytokines, which cause inflammation.
The researchers got the results interviewing 106 people recovering from COVID-19 infections three, six, and 12 months after contracting the disease. All patients surveyed were healthy and had no pre-existing autoimmune conditions or other underlying diseases prior to the pandemic.
“In general, you shouldn’t worry if you don’t feel well right after getting infected, since the chances of recovery within 12 months are very highand just because you have the typical prolonged symptoms of COVID at three months doesn’t mean they’ll stay forever, “said lead author Manali Mukherjee, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine.
“However, the study highlights this at 12 months, if you are still feeling unwell and symptoms persist or worsen, you should definitely see a doctor“explains Mukherjee, who encourages these patients to consult a rheumatologist, as they specialize in autoimmune diseases and can better assess the development of rheumatological complications and the need for early intervention.
Most patients with prolonged covid currently are evaluated by repirologists or specialists in infectious diseases, which do not specialize in autoimmunity.
Why do the symptoms continue after overcoming Covid?
In recovered patients, A reduction in autoantibodies was observed and the cytokines was accompanied by an improvement in symptoms. Those who had high levels of antibodies and cytokines after one year were those whose symptoms persisted.
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“Sometimes, as the body fights the virus, the immune system becomes so amplified that, in addition to producing antibodies that kill the virus, it can produce those that attack the host. However, the body’s general tendency after battling a severe virus like SARS-COV2 is to recover and often the rate varies from one individual to another, “explains the researcher.
