by Heather Davis, AWC Antwerp
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create havoc across the world, a new medical condition, Long COVID, has been observed by health care providers and sufferers.
What is a post-COVID or COVID-19 “long-hauler?”
Some people continue to have symptoms long after they were initially infected with COVID-19. This occurs in all age groups and does not always correlate with the severity of their disease in the first place.
It is estimated that 50% to 80% of all COVID-19 patients will still have some symptoms three months after the onset of their infection (Carfi et al., JAMA, 2020, 324:603-605; Tenforde et al., MMWR, 2020, 69:993-998). For some, serious symptoms have persisted for many months after their initial infection, with no indication yet of resolving.
What symptoms do COVID-19 “long-haulers” have?
Symptoms vary, but can include severe fatigue, headaches, body aches, recurrent fever, respiratory issues (shortness of breath and cough are common) and brain fog or trouble concentrating. While these people are no longer infectious to others, the continuing symptoms are very debilitating, and some people are not able to work or even function to any meaningful degree. The non-relenting symptoms in turn often induce fear, anxiety and depression.
Why do some people become “long-haulers?”
Thus far, what causes some people to become ‟long-haulers” is not understood. What is clear is that it isn’t because of ongoing viral infection, as these patients show up as negative on COVID-19 tests – and this also means that they aren’t infectious to others.
However, this is not the first time that chronic symptoms have been linked to a prior viral infection – this has also been noted for cases of chronic fatigue syndrome, where symptoms can last many years.
In the early days of the pandemic, many patients with lingering symptoms found that their doctors thought their problems to be psychological rather than physical, and thus turned to support groups for help. It was because of these support groups that we came to know how prevalent a problem this actually is. Now the medical profession has recognized its validity, although doctors still have no specific treatments to offer.
What is needed:
REHABILITATION of patients, more RESEARCH to understand the condition and RECOGNITION by all of the long term sequelae of COVID-19
You can read more about post-COVID long-haulers from these reliable sources:
- The lasting misery of coronavirus long-haulers (Nature): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02598-6
- The tragedy of the post-COVID “long haulers” (Harvard Health): https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-tragedy-of-the-post-covid-long-haulers-2020101521173
- COVID-19 “long-hauler” patients search for answers and help (UC Davis Health): https://health.ucdavis.edu/health-news/newsroom/covid-19-long-hauler-patients-search-for-answers-and-help/2020/10
- Long COVID support (UK based): https://www.longcovid.org/