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Prolonged COVID, also known as the post-COVID condition, is a serious illness that occurs in at least 10% of severe COVID-19 infections and presents with symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, chest palpitations, memory loss, and abnormal menstruation after a COVID-19 infection. It is estimated that at least 65 million people worldwide have been suffering from COVID for a long time, and this number is increasing every day [1] Davis, H. E. , McCorkell, L. , Vogel, J. M. et al. Long COVID: key findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023; 21(133–146). .
Read on to learn more about long COVID, add your symptoms, how it’s treated, and when to seek care from a medical professional.
Long COVID describes a condition in which a user reports symptoms induced by a COVID-19 infection that occur after the resolution of the infection itself and require more time for ArrayWhile most other people contract COVID-19 infections within days or weeks, other people with long-term COVID have symptoms that persist for weeks, months or even years after your initial COVID infection.
In some cases, the symptoms of a long COVID may disappear and reappear, and in others, new symptoms or health problems may spread, such as memory deficits, loss of taste and smell, mood disorders, high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias. . .
Prolonged COVID can occur inflamed with the COVID-19 virus, but other people who have experienced severe cases of COVID-19 or who have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 are at increased risk of contracting the disease.
Other teams at higher risk of contracting COVID long-term come with other people with underlying conditions before contracting COVID-19, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fibromyalgia, anxiety, erectile dysfunction, depression, migraine, sclerosis, celiac disease, and learning disabilities.
In addition, other people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and other people with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS), a rare disease in which inflammation occurs in other parts of the body, or after a COVID-19 infection are at increased risk. of coming COVID in the long term.
Since it is imaginable for a user to contract COVID-19 more than once, it is imaginable to spread a long COVID each time a user becomes infected with the virus.
The symptoms of the long range of COVID between individuals. Common symptoms would likely include:
While studies are underway on the precise reasons for the long duration of COVID, it is believed that the condition is possibly due to several factors:
Currently, there is no rapid control for long COVID. If a user has a long COVID, a healthcare provider reviews their medical history, performs a physical exam, and possibly orders blood tests and imaging tests, such as CT scans or ultrasounds. .
Long COVID is regularly diagnosed at least 3 months after a user contracts COVID-19, depending on how long the user recovers from the initial virus. This moment ensures that the symptoms a user reports are not part of their recovery from the virus, but they are. similar to a long COVID. To be considered a long COVID, a person’s symptoms will need to be consistent for at least two months from the time they first became inflamed with COVID-19.
Long-term remedies for COVID aim to treat symptoms an individual reports as a result of an acute COVID-19 infection, says Eleazar Flores, M. D. , a number one care physician at Houston Methodist Primary Care Group in Texas. While there is no express cure for long COVID, there are several treatment methods that can help manage symptoms and improve a person’s quality of life, he explains.
“Medications may be prescribed to relieve expressed symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, or depression,” says Dr. Flores. The type of medication prescribed to a user depends on their express symptoms, but it can come with painkillers, sleeping pills. , antidepressants or anxiolytics, he adds.
People with severe COVID-19 who have spent time in an intensive care unit develop muscle weakness, muscle loss, muscle disease, and nerve damage. Rehabilitation and physical treatment centers can help treat muscle weakness, joint pain, and mobility problems. A rehabilitation program may come with exercises, stretching, and other techniques to rebuild strength and improve physical function, Dr. Flores says.
“Occupational therapists can help Americans regain skills and independence in daily activities that may have been impacted by a prolonged COVID, such as work, self-care, and leisure,” according to Dr. Flores. Working with an occupational therapist can also make a contribution to a person’s intellectual fitness by helping them have a sense of dignity and independence despite their illness.
Some cases of long COVID come with shortness of breath and impaired lung function is due to lung damage caused by an initial COVID-19 infection. Pulmonary rehabilitation systems might be recommended for others with lung problems, Dr. Flores says. These systems would possibly come with breathing exercises, physical activity, and education to help the lungs and control shortness of breath.
A review of nine studies comparing the efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation in long-term COVID treatments shows that pulmonary rehabilitation can lead to innovations in exercise capacity, health-related quality of life, and lung service as in other long-term COVID people who were hospitalized at the time of their initial infection. While more studies are needed, it appears that pulmonary rehabilitation is useful in managing some respiratory symptoms of prolonged COVID. [2] Soril LJJ, Damant RW, Lam GY, Smith MP, Weatherald J, Bourbeau J, Hernandez P, Stickland MK. The effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for post-COVID symptoms: an immediate review of the literature. Breathe Med. 2022; 195:106782.
Mental fitness issues such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation can occur with COVID long-term. manage symptoms of intellectual fitness, Dr. Flores says.
“Supportive measures, such as rest, good hydration, a balanced diet, and stimulation activities, can manage symptoms and conserve energy,” says Dr. Flores.
Activity stimulation is a strategy used to prevent other people with long-term COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome from fluctuating between high and low activity levels in order to improve overall service and reduce the likelihood of exacerbating symptoms. This is about doing an activity for a set amount of time and then resting for a set amount of time. By setting a time limit on activity, other people may exaggerate and worsen symptoms.
According to a 2023 review in Nature, few people with long-term COVID recover completely, and 85% of other people who had symptoms two months after their initial COVID-19 infection still had symptoms one year after symptom onset[1] Davis, H. E. , McCorkell, L. , Vogel, J. M. et al. Long COVID: key findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023; 21(133–146). . However, studies continue to explore the causes, mechanisms, and characteristics of the long COVID remedy, Dr. Flores says.
While there is no definitive cure for long COVID, many other people with the condition see their symptoms improve over time, and treatment aimed at managing and relieving persistent symptoms can help improve a person’s quality of life, Dr. Flores adds.
Since lengthy COVID treatment plans must be tailored to a person’s desires and symptoms, Dr. Flores recommends consulting with a medical professional who specializes in post-acute or long-term COVID care to determine a diagnosis, identify symptoms, and expand an appropriate remedy strategy.
“If you have recovered from acute COVID-19 but continue to experience persistent symptoms or new symptoms that appear in your daily life, it is advisable to consult a medical professional,” says Dr. Flores.
According to Dr. Flores, some conditions in which a doctor should be seen for prolonged COVID symptoms include:
A health care provider can evaluate a person’s symptoms, provide appropriate advice, and submit additional investigations or referrals to specialists if necessary.
It should also be noted that data on the long duration of COVID continue to emerge and that medical advice is likely to evolve as more studies become available, he adds.
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