Post-COVID Syndrome

Most people that have COVID-19 recover completely within a few weeks. But some people-- even those who had mild versions of the illness-- continue to experience symptoms after their initial recovery.

These individuals sometimes describe themselves as "long-haulers," and the conditions have been called "post-COVID-19 syndrome" or "long COVID-19." These health problems also are sometimes called "post-COVID-19 conditions." These health problems are generally considered to be effects of COVID-19 that continue for more than four weeks after individuals have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Older people and individuals with several serious medical conditions are the most likely to experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms, but even young, otherwise healthy individuals can feel unwell for weeks to months after infection.

Common signs and symptoms that remain over time consist of:

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Cough
• Joint pain
• Chest pain
• Memory, concentration or sleep problems
• Muscle pain or headache
• Fast or pounding heartbeat
• Loss of smell or taste
• Depression or anxiety
• Fever
• Dizziness when standing
• Worsened symptoms after physical or mental activities

Organ damage caused by COVID-19

Although COVID-19 is seen as a disease that primarily affects the lungs, it can damage many other organs, also. This organ damage might raise the risk of long-lasting health problems.

Organs that may be impacted by COVID-19 include:

Heart

Imaging tests taken months after recovery from COVID-19 have shown lasting damage to the heart, also in people that experienced only mild COVID-19 symptoms. This may increase the risk of heart failure or other heart complications in the future.

Lungs

The type of pneumonia often linked to COVID-19 can cause long-lasting damage to the small air sacs, or alveoli, in the lungs. The resulting scar tissue can cause long-term breathing problems.

Brain

Even in young people, COVID-19 can lead to strokes, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome-- a condition that causes temporary paralysis. COVID-19 also can increase the risk of getting Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Some adults and children experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome after they have been infected with COVID-19. In this condition, some organs and tissues become severely inflamed.

Blood clots, blood vessel problems

COVID-19 can make blood cells more likely to clump and create clots. While large clots can trigger heart attacks and strokes, a lot of the heart damage caused by COVID-19 is believed to come from small clots that block small blood vessels, or capillaries, in the heart.

Other parts of the body affected by blood clots include the lungs, legs, liver and kidneys. COVID-19 also can damage blood vessels and cause them to leak, which results in potentially long-lasting problems with the liver and kidneys.

Issues with mood, fatigue

People who have severe symptoms of COVID-19 often must be treated in a hospital's ICU with mechanical assistance, such as ventilators to breathe. Merely surviving this experience can make a person more likely to, later on, develop post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

Because it's hard to predict long-term outcomes from COVID-19, researchers are examining the long-lasting effects seen in related infections, such as the coronavirus that causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

Many individuals who have recovered from SARS have gone on to develop chronic fatigue syndrome, a complicated condition characterized by extreme fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity yet does not improve with rest. The same might be true for people who have been infected with COVID-19.

COVID-19 effects still unknown

Much is still not known regarding how COVID-19 will affect individuals over time, but research is ongoing. Researchers advise that health care providers closely monitor individuals that have been infected with COVID-19 to see how their organs function after recovery.

A lot of large medical centers are opening specialized clinics to care for individuals who have persistent symptoms or related illnesses after they recover from COVID-19. Support groups are available, as well.

It's important to keep in mind that the majority of people that are infected with COVID-19 recover quickly. But the potentially long-lasting problems from COVID-19 make it even more important to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by following precautions. This includes using masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, getting a vaccine when available and keeping hands clean.

For further information about Dr. Stengler’s practice and his clinic in La Jolla, California, please visit our website at MarkStengler.com or give us a call at (760) 274-2377