Now that we're a year and a half into the COVID19 pandemic we're beginning to have an understanding of the lasting long-term effects the disease has. Prolonged symptoms have colloquially been called long-COVID and those who are experiencing these symptoms are colloquially called "Long haulers." Long COVID may also be referred to as "long term COVID, chronic COVID or Post-COVID syndrome," as no official term has been established yet.
Although the majority of patients with COVID-19 recover within weeks after being unwell, some people develop Post-COVID symptoms.
The term
Post-COVID Syndrome
is an
umbrella term used to basically denote any symptoms arising right after the COVID infection.It's important to remember that research on COVID19 and its prolonged effects on the body have only just begun. And to date we cannot draw any firm conclusions on the long-term effects of the disease. The studies highlighted here represent only initial findings and should be taken with a grain of salt.
To begin researchers are discovering that long-term complications from COVID19 are fairly common. In October of 2020, the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health Research announced 10 to 20% of people who contracted COVID19 continue to have symptoms or complications of COVID19 one month after diagnosis.
One study in Italy suggested 87 of patients infected with COVID19 continued to have persistent symptoms 60 days after their initial symptoms began. With the rising number of people experiencing long-term covid19 symptoms, the British National Institute for health and Care Excellence also called NICE, has categorized 3 unique stages of COVID19 recovery:
- The Acute COVID19 stage is the period of recovery within 4 weeks after diagnosis.
- The Ongoing COVID19 stage lasts 4 to 12 weeks after diagnosis.
- The Long COVID19 stage lasts over 12 weeks after diagnosis.
Some of the symptoms include:
- Chest tightness
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Lack of concentration
Fatigue is the most common symptom that
appears to continue to persist after covid19 infection. A study in Ireland found over half of all patients continued to have persistent symptoms of fatigue 10 weeks after initial diagnosis regardless of how severe their initial symptoms were.Cardiopulmonary issues such as shortness of breath cough and chest pain are also common. A study in the United Kingdom found 60% of patients admitted to general medicine floors and 72% of intensive care patients had continuing shortness of breath four to eight weeks after hospital discharge.
Similarly a Chinese study found over 50 of patients performed worse on spirometry pulmonary function tests 30 days after discharge from the hospital.
Some less common but equally or sometimes more debilitating symptoms are:
- Mobility challenges (muscle & joint pains)
- Palpitations (fast heart beats)
- Dizziness
- tingling/pains in fingers and toes
- Sensory loss (hearing, vision, smell, taste, numbness)
- Memory loss
- Cognitive impairment
- Hair loss
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Headache
- Skin rashes
Causes of long-term symptoms:
It's not clear if these symptoms are a
continuation of the initial COVID19 infection or if they are related to an entirely new yet separate Post-COVID19 syndrome. There are however a few hypotheses that have been proposed which could be contributing to the prolongation of COVID19 symptoms. 1. IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSE:
Some people's immune systems may respond to COVID19 more strongly than others weaker immune responses to COVID19 might lead to symptoms lasting several months instead of several weeks. Weak immune response can be caused by advanced age, pre-existing health conditions that impact the immune system such as HIV or possibly immunomodulating drugs such as steroids.
On the other hand some people's immune response may be too strong. Their immune systems may become too aggressive in trying to fight COVID19 and as a result may cause cellular damage to other organs leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome and systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
There has been some evidence that severe cases of COVID19 have been in part caused by a sudden and massive release of cytokines called a "cytokine storm" leading to significant tissue inflammation and organ damage.
2. RE-INFECTION:
Re-infection with COVID19 may also explain persistent symptoms of the disease. Overall, it is unclear why so many people continue to experience COVID19 symptoms beyond the acute phase of the illness and we may not have a clear understanding of this for a few years.
While the cause of these continuing COVID19 symptoms remains a mystery and there are no COVID19 specific treatment recommendations after acute infection.
-> If you observe any of these symptoms, you should observe following points immediately:
- Speak to your doctor immediately
- Take the prescribed medication
- Rest and hydrate sufficiently
- Practice social distancing
- Hand hygiene
- Use masks diligently
CAN POST-COVID SYNDROME BE PREVENTED?
The only way to prevent Post-COVID syndrome is to avoid COVID. For this following measures are crucial:
- Maintain social distancing and avoid crowds
- Practice excellent hand hygiene
- Avoid touching your face/ keep your face clean
- Use masks correctly
- Get your COVID vaccination as soon as you are eligible