Introduction:
Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infection started at its peak in the year 2020 worldwide, and gradually many of its variants were introduced, which caused many new complications in different countries around the globe. The complications were fatal and took many lives. The symptoms showed a varying pattern over a period of time due to different variants of the virus. The initial symptoms included cough, cold, fever with chills, breathing discomfort leading to reduced oxygen saturation, and death. Gradually with every wave of infection, the signs changed. It was noticed in several studies that many people who were infected by COVID suffered some post-COVID symptoms. This phase was termed long COVID or post-COVID conditions. However, it was reported that almost 50 % of people who were hospitalized due to COVID complications suffered these long COVID symptoms. This article explains the long covid symptoms in detail.
What Is Long COVID?
Long COVID or post-acute COVID (symptoms beyond three weeks) and chronic post‐COVID syndrome (beyond 12 weeks) are multisystem syndromes seen in people who have recovered from COVID. These complications were termed long COVID. It is also termed post-COVID conditions, long haul COVID, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), chronic COVID, and long-term effects of COVID. It includes a wide range of health issues that can last for several weeks, months, or even years. It was reported that long COVID conditions were noticed in people who suffered severe illness due to COVID infection and got hospitalized for treatment. And it is seen in patients with comorbidities. However, it can be seen even in some mild COVID infection cases and asymptomatic infection cases. Even people who did not take the COVID vaccination and suffered from the infection are more prone to develop post-COVID symptoms.
What Are the Three Categories of Long COVID?
According to studies and research, the long COVID is divided into three categories depending on the onset of symptoms, which include:
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The first category is the patients who are not entirely recovered from COVID and develop new symptoms due to direct cell damage caused by the COVID virus.
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The second category classifies people hospitalized for a very long duration due to COVID infection. There are chances of chronic muscle weakness and brain dysfunctions.
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The third category of long COVID includes patients who developed symptoms long (after three weeks) after recovering from COVID infection.
What Are the Symptoms Seen in Long COVID?
People with long COVID conditions show a wide range of symptoms which can stay for a few weeks to several months, whereas in some cases, the symptoms can recur with variable presentations from time to time. As a result, people suffer health issues with varying symptoms, different onsets, and durations of action. In many cases, the symptoms improve with time; however, they may last longer and lead to disabilities in many cases.
Some of the reported symptoms of long COVID are:
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General Symptoms: These are some general systemic symptoms affecting the body. These include tiredness or prolonged daytime fatigue leading to altered daily routine, fever, and post-exertional malaise.
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Respiratory and Heart Symptoms: Many people who suffered from breathing difficulties before COVID developed shortness of breath or asthmatic symptoms in the post-COVID phase. Continuous cough and chronic chest pain were also reported in a few cases of COVID infections. Symptoms related to the heart include heart palpitations, also known as heart-pounding or fast beating.
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Digestive Symptoms: A wide range of digestive symptoms is observed in long COVID cases, especially in hospitalized patients. Due to long hospitalized treatments and fewer body movements, the bowel gets weak, and several related complications like diarrhea, stomach pain, weight loss or gain, and constipation.
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Neurological Symptoms: Studies reported that anxiety and depression were prevalent long COVID symptoms seen in the majority of COVID-infected patients. It was observed that these conditions affected almost half of the population who were hospitalized for treatment as they were away from their families and close ones and suffered loneliness. Some other symptoms include sleeping issues, consistent headache, dizziness after standing up, brain fog leading to difficulties concentrating and thinking, and altered smell and taste.
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Other Systemic Symptoms: Some of the other symptoms of long COVID are muscle or joint pains leading to difficulty performing physical activities, skin conditions such as the appearance of rashes or blisters, allergies, and irregular menstruations or complications in women.
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Symptoms Hard to Explain: There are some symptoms of long COVID that are very complex and hard to explain. Such signs require clinical investigations such as blood tests, X-rays, and electrocardiograms. These symptoms can be similar to chronic fatigue syndrome.
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Autoimmune Diseases: Some cases of post-COVID include the development of autoimmune disorders in which the body’s immune system attacks its organs, leading to disorders.
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Post-Intensive Care Syndrome: A group of symptoms was seen in people who were admitted to intensive care units for a long duration of time. These symptoms include muscle weakness leading to fatigue, concentration and thinking impairment, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, patients hospitalized with severe COVID-related complications can develop these symptoms and worsen the long COVID condition.
Which Population Is More Prone to Long COVID?
Studies and research are going on to understand the group of people who have the potential to develop long COVID conditions.
However, as per the cases reported, the cases of long COVID are seen more often in the following circumstances:
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People who were hospitalized due to a COVID infection and needed an intensive care unit.
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People who suffered from other underlying health conditions before infection from COVID. These include some common conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or asthma.
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People who miss their COVID vaccination as it helps the immune system to fight against many complications.
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People with any disabilities or chronic conditions which may affect the body's immunity.
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People who are affected by multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) before or during the COVID illness.
How to Diagnose Long COVID Complications?
There are no specific tests present to investigate the presence of post-COVID symptoms or upcoming complications. The symptoms vary from individual to individual, depending on several factors. The patient has to be evaluated depending on the presenting complaints. However, it is noticed that the post-COVID symptoms are seen almost after four weeks of recovery from COVID infection. It is challenging for healthcare professionals to diagnose post-COVID symptoms without the help of past medical history.
Is There a Cure for Long-Term COVID?
Although there is not a single drug or treatment utilized to address long Covid's overall condition, there are treatments that could ease some of its symptoms. Because every person's experience is unique, it is essential to discuss all of the symptoms with the physician and discuss treatment options.
The general practitioner might recommend one to a long Covid clinic or a specialist who can assist treat the specific symptoms that appear, including physiotherapy or emotional support.
How to Prevent Long COVID?
The only way to prevent long COVID is to prevent COVID infection. The guidelines published by the World Health Organization should be followed strictly, like wearing face masks, using sanitizers, and other instructions. Prevention of COVID will prevent any further complications in an individual.
Conclusion:
COVID leads to several complications during the infection and post-infection phase, termed long COVID. These symptoms are known as long COVID. It is reported that almost 50 % of the cases of COVID infection which were hospitalized for treatment suffered from these long COVID symptoms. The symptoms often vary in different individuals, and, in some cases, they are difficult to diagnose.
