Long COVID symptoms: 3 possible signs of long COVID, as per CDC doctor
Possible signs of long COVID
Besides the ever-expanding list of coronavirus symptoms, long COVID has also taken a major toll on people. In the recent past, many scientists, medical professionals and governing health bodies have come together to study the lingering and long term implications of the deadly virus.
What is Long COVID?
Long COVID refers to a condition where people continue to experience COVID symptoms long after they have recovered and tested negative. That said, people suffering with long COVID are called long haulers who, due to COVID-19, either experience some permanent damage to their lungs, heart, kidneys, or brain or continue to experience lingering symptoms despite no detectable damage to these organs.
Possible symptoms of long COVID
According to Dr. John Brooks, chief medical officer for the CDC’s Covid-19 response, long Covid is still 'not well understood' by health experts. He believes that the primary care physician can identify whether a person is suffering from long COVID symptoms or if it's just some other illness.
“If you’re having symptoms you haven’t had before, something new following Covid [such as] chest pain, difficulty breathing, you can’t get your thinking clearly, you’re just not getting better the way you thought you should, have a low threshold to seek care,” Brooks told a House committee.
Chest pain
Considering COVID-19 negatively impacts the respiratory tracts and takes a toll on our lung health, experts believe chest pain could be a lingering symptom. Discomfort in the chest with a dull ache can also be a severe symptom of COVID-19, which continues in long haulers even after recovery.
Difficulty in breathing
Shortness of breath is a common post COVID symptom as per CDC doctor. While COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, it can make it very difficult for the patients to breathe smoothly. That said, it can also linger on in patients who have already recovered.
Brain fog
Patients have often reported signs of brain fog or mental confusion, making it a significant condition in the list of common long COVID symptoms. Many people who have recovered from COVID-19 have reported a sense of confusion, experiencing short-term memory loss, an inability to concentrate, and/or just feeling differently than they did before contracting the infection.
Who are at more risk of developing post-COVID syndrome?
Many underlying risk factors are also associated with long COVID. As per Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, older people, women and people who are obese appear to have a higher risk of developing long COVID.