Maybe you know the feeling.
You dodged the early spring 2020 wave of COVID, but caught the virus during the fall 2021 delta wave, or the early Omicron wave following holidays, or any other Omicron spawn more recently. Months later, you find yourself feeling a little tired and…
You could be forgiven for thinking, “Have I had COVID for a long time? Is that why I am mentally retarded?”
Indeed, brain fog, muscle aches and fatigue are some of the most common symptoms of the vague condition known as chronic COVID, which experts believe affects one in five Americans who survive the relatively new virus. Went.
They appear to be mild in comparison to the more than 200 other possible symptoms of chronic COVID, such as the development or worsening of cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and neurological issues such as a persistent feeling of “brain on fire.”
How likely is it that your new, post-COVID symptoms are prolonged COVID? How long will they last? And what is the difference between brain fog and a potentially fatal post-COVID complication?
What’s to blame for my new health issue?
Those are the questions on the minds of countless patients and doctors right now: Is my new eczema prolonged COVID? Is my diabetic glycemic control worsening due to COVID? I Feel Mentally Foggy—Am I a “Long Runner”?
Experts say it is difficult to attribute a symptom to a condition like prolonged COVID, when that condition is not yet clearly defined.
The trouble is that – for now, at least – “long COVID” can include everything from patients who have mild COVID and mild symptoms to those in hospital with severe COVID. and was suffering from resultant organ damage, Dr. Miranda Azola, co-director of the Post-Acute COVID-19 Team Program at the Alba Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told Good luck.
For people with pre-existing conditions, it is impossible to say whether such outcomes – eg, heart attack – are due to COVID, the condition, or a combination of both – and the answer may vary by person. People who had severe COVID-19 are at a higher risk of death in the coming year, according to a 2021 study from Florida that considered more than 13,000 health records. And a study published in March this year, considering more than 150,000 COVID survivors in the thousands and control groups, found that the survivors had a significantly increased risk of heart disease, which can lead to death.
What’s more, some taller COVID patients have symptoms that are not related to the condition, or that would have happened anyway.
When will this go away?
Experts say that while “prolonged COVID” symptoms may last, some patients report improvement and symptoms that completely resolve within a few months.
But countless others have not reported such resolution. They may eventually recover; It is too early to say that. “We are only two and a half years into the pandemic,” said Dr. Glenn Mays—president of the Colorado School of Public Health, as well as a professor there— Good luck. Society still has to really “see what the long-term consequences are.”
Many people who self-report COVID for a long time have “post-viral complications” that can occur after a number of viral and bacterial infections, such as Lyme disease and Epstein-Barr virus, Dr. Panagis Galliatsatos, an assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins Division of Pulmonary End. Critical Care Medicine, recently reported Good luck.
In these cases, it may take three to six months for someone to get back to normal. He added that treatment for COVID can be like recovering from a broken leg after a fall from a bike.
“The initial effect of the scrap is gone, but the scar will take time to heal,” he said. “Patients who are still coughing at two months – that’s part of the treatment.”
Mental fogginess, something more serious, or both?
There is no evidence that patients who had mild COVID symptoms and now have relatively mild prolonged COVID symptoms are at increased risk of mortality, Azola said.
But this does not reduce the potential harm of such symptoms. For example, mental laziness can put someone at greater risk of a car accident or injury while operating heavy machinery.
“Brain fog – you may not think that it can result in immediate or direct death, but imagine situations where if you are not able to concentrate, think – you are more likely to have an accident Bruce Y. Lee, professor of health policy and management at the City University of New York School of Public Health, said. Good luck.
Mays said people with chronic COVID-19 who are easily exhausted may not be able to get enough exercise, which can increase their risk for chronic disease — such as obesity, high blood pressure and type 2. Diabetes – and premature death in the future.
And then there is the mental health impact of prolonged COVID that cannot be ignored, he pointed out.
“There is an epidemic of mental health problems in America, in part accelerated, directly and indirectly, by the COVID pandemic,” Mays said. “This is another way where long-term COVID can have serious adverse health effects” by creating mental health conditions or worsening those already present.
Prolonged COVID symptoms like depression and anxiety “can be fatal,” he said, adding that the inability to walk, exercise regularly and participate in work as before also “is a factor in declining health.” Can go a long way.”
not inevitable
Experts say the best advice is to not accept long-lasting COVID- or even COVID- as an imperative and take precautions like using face masks and social distancing.
“There’s a spectrum of how people get it,” Galliastos said of the virus, adding that “how you catch COVID” can determine whether you develop COVID over a long period of time. For example, people who vaccinate and/or treat their infections with the antiviral Paxlovid may have a lower risk of developing the condition, some studies show.
Figures such as the CDC’s claim that one in five US adults who have had COVID for a long time are generally based on surveys that self-identified individuals and not necessarily formally diagnosed. .
Such questionnaires are basically asking, “Have you had any new health problems since you’ve had COVID?” Dr. Alexandra Bruegler Younts, an infectious disease specialist who runs a lengthy COVID clinic at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, recently reported Good luck.
“Which is a challenge, because life still goes on, and people are still developing health conditions.”
The takeaway: Now is not the time to throw your hands in the air and be careful with the wind. COVID can be avoided – at least sometimes – in the long run COVID is not inevitable.
Bruegler Yonts said: “Just because I’m probably going to get the flu at some other point in my life, doesn’t mean I lick the subway rail.”
(This story has not been edited by seemayo staff and is published from a rss feed)