Symptoms of long COVID
extreme tiredness (fatigue) feeling short of breath. loss of smell. muscle aches.
Long COVID, the condition where symptoms that surface after recovering from COVID-19 linger for weeks, months, or even years, is still a mystery to doctors and researchers. The symptoms, such as chronic pain, brain fog, shortness of breath, chest pain, and intense fatigue, can be debilitating.
If you think you have long Covid, or your symptoms are getting worse, contact your GP. You may be referred to a long Covid clinic, for physiotherapy, or for psychological support such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Kettles VA Medical Center, and an assistant professor in the departments of internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. “Based on these data, it seems that many people hospitalized for COVID-19 should expect symptoms to last for up to six months or even longer.”
As of April, the federal government's Household Pulse survey estimates that about 10% of adults infected with the virus continue to experience and suffer from the many symptoms termed together as long COVID.
Markers in our blood – 'fingerprints' of infection – could help identify individuals who have been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, several months after infection even if the individual had only mild symptoms or showed no symptoms at all, say Cambridge researchers.
No, long COVID cannot be passed from one person to another. Having long COVID does not mean that you are still contagious.
It can make you feel dull and tired, take away your energy, and eat away at your ability to get things done. Depending on the seriousness of your COVID-19 infection, it may last 2 to 3 weeks. But for some people with a severe infection, the brain fog-like fatigue and pain can linger for weeks or months.
While most people with Long COVID have evidence of infection or COVID-19 illness, in some cases, a person with Long COVID may not have tested positive for the virus or known they were infected.
And infections now carry a lower threat of lingering complications. “These patients with Omicron, they're much less likely to get Long Covid,” says Willan, whose patients are overwhelmingly vaccinated.
Muscle aches and pains are described as 'myalgia'. It can involve your ligaments, tendons, soft tissues and it can also cause joint pain. Myalgia can be a common symptom if you have a viral infection such as COVID and it can affect a specific area or spread more widely.
Long COVID patients present elevated inflammatory biomarkers after initial infection. Our study found that people with higher levels of IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α after SARS-CoV-2 infection for one or more months may experience long-term COVID symptoms.
This type of pain can be found anywhere in the chest and the pain can move around your body. Chest pain is often felt just below the left nipple, and can be sharp and quick or ache for hours.
Twice as many people in the vaccinated group as in the unvaccinated group also reported that all their long covid symptoms were in remission. The study also found that people who were unvaccinated said that long covid was having a more severe effect on their social, professional, and family lives.
Getting at least one dose of a COVID vaccine lowers the risk of developing long COVID, suggests a study published online Dec. 6, 2022, by the journal Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology.
Medication: You may find covid headache relief by using over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Follow the printed dosing directions or ask your doctor about the appropriate dose.
Long Covid Symptoms Often Include Crushing Fatigue. Here's How to Cope.
Fatigue is very common after viral infections, such as COVID, but it often settles over two or three weeks, with most people feeling better within 12 weeks.
Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home. You can treat symptoms with over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), to help you feel better.
People with long COVID, or “long-haulers,” are COVID-19 survivors but they have persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches, palpitations, and impairments in mental health and cognition.
Slowly increase activity levels
People often increase activity levels too quickly, which can set them back. Occupational therapists working with people with long-term fatigue may only increase activity levels every couple of weeks. So, go slow and steady with activities and avoid pushing through fatigue.