Most individuals who have COVID-19 recover fully within a few weeks. But some individuals-- 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 issues also are occasionally called "post-COVID-19 conditions." These health problems are usually considered to be effects of COVID-19 that continue for more than four weeks after people have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Older individuals and individuals with many major medical problems are the most likely to experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms, but also young, otherwise healthy people can feel unwell for weeks to months after infection.
Common signs and symptoms that remain over time include:
Although COVID-19 is seen as a disease that primarily affects the lungs, it can damage several other organs, as well. This organ damage may increase the risk of long-term health problems.
Organs that may be affected by COVID-19 include:
Imaging tests taken months after recovery from COVID-19 have shown lasting damage to the heart, even in people who experienced only mild COVID-19 symptoms. This may increase the risk of heart failure or other heart problems in the future.
The type of pneumonia commonly associated with COVID-19 can result in long-standing damage to the tiny air sacs, or alveoli, in the lungs. The resulting scar tissue can lead to long-term breathing problems.
Even in young people, COVID-19 can lead to strokes, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome-- a condition that results in temporary paralysis. COVID-19 also can raise the risk of developing 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.
COVID-19 can make blood cells more likely to clump and create clots. While large clots can trigger heart attacks and strokes, much of the heart damage caused by COVID-19 is believed to stem from small clots that block tiny 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.
Individuals who have severe symptoms of COVID-19 often need to be treated in a hospital's ICU with mechanical aid, such as ventilators to breathe. Simply surviving this experience can make an individual more likely to later develop post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
Because it's difficult to predict long-term effects from COVID-19, researchers are looking at the long-term effects seen in related infections, such as the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
Many people who have recovered from SARS have gone on to develop chronic fatigue syndrome, a complicated disorder identified by severe fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity yet doesn't improve with rest. The same might be true for people who have been infected with COVID-19.
Much is still unknown regarding how COVID-19 will impact individuals with time, but research is ongoing. Scientists suggest that health care providers closely monitor individuals that have been infected with COVID-19 to see how their organs function after recovery.
Many large medical centers are opening specialized clinics to care for people who have persistent symptoms or related illnesses after they recover from COVID-19. Support groups are available, also.
It's important to remember that most individuals that are infected with COVID-19 recover quickly. But the potentially long-lasting effects 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.
