SAFE GC Coalition: Long Term Effects of COVID-19

According to the MAYO Clinic, most people who get COVID-19 recover within a few weeks. But some people, even those who had mild versions of the disease, might have symptoms that last a long time afterward. These ongoing health problems are sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome, long COVID-19 or long-haul COVID-19 and involves a variety of new, returning or ongoing symptoms that people experience more than four weeks after getting COVID-19. In some people, post-COVID-19 syndrome lasts months or years or causes disability.

Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19, 1 in 5 people ages 18 to 64 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19. Among people age 65 and older, 1 in 4 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19.

The most commonly reported symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome include fatigue, symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort, fever, lung (respiratory) symptoms, including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and cough. Other possible symptoms include neurological symptoms or mental health conditions, including difficulty thinking or concentrating, headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand, pins-and-needles feeling, loss of smell or taste, and depression or anxiety, joint or muscle pain, heart symptoms or conditions, including chest pain and fast or pounding heartbeat, digestive symptoms, including diarrhea and stomach pain, blood clots and blood vessel (vascular) issues, including a blood clot that travels to the lungs from deep veins in the legs and blocks blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). Post-COVID-19 syndrome also appears to be more common in adults than in children and teens. However, anyone who gets COVID-19 can have long-term effects, including people with no symptoms or mild illness with COVID-19.

The MAYO clinic maintains that it is also not clear if post-COVID-19 syndrome is new and unique to COVID-19. Some symptoms are similar to those caused by chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illnesses that develop after infections. Chronic fatigue syndrome involves extreme fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity, but doesn't improve with rest.

Organ damage could play a role in the ongoing health problems caused by COVID-19. People who had severe illness with COVID-19 might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain. Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen. It isn't clear how long these effects might last. The effects also could lead to the development of new conditions, such as diabetes or a heart or nervous system condition.

The experience of having severe COVID-19 might be another factor. People with severe symptoms of COVID-19 often need to be treated in a hospital intensive care unit. This can result in extreme weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event. Individuals are more likely to have post-COVID-19 syndrome if they had severe illness with COVID-19, especially if hospitalized or needed intensive care, the presence of certain medical conditions before getting the COVID-19 virus or a pre-existing condition that affected organs and tissues (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) while sick with COVID-19 or afterward.

The MAYO clinic advises speaking with your health care provider to come up with a treatment plan if you have post-COVID-19 syndrome symptoms regarding when they began, what makes them worse, how often you experience symptoms and how these symptoms are affecting your daily activities. A support group and sharing resources is also recommended.

To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow us on www.facebook.com/safeglencovecoalition or visit SAFE’s website to learn more about the COVID-19 Epidemic, Post COVID Syndrome, and its correlation to increased mental illness, alcohol and substance use in youth and adults and resources to cope please visit www.safeglencove.org.