The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 771 million people, with more than 6.9 million deaths across the globe in the past three years. COVID-19 virus leads to acute and long-term complications among the infected patients. These long-term complications have a wide spectrum ranging from the long-term detrimental effect of COVID-19 on the various body organ systems based on the severity of the initial infection and underlying significant co-morbidities to relatively new medical syndrome termed Long COVID-19.
Definition: WHO has acknowledged the long-term COVID and describes it as a condition in which people who have COVID-19, irrespective of hospitalization status, continue to experience symptoms ranging from fatigue and cardiovascular, neurological, and respiratory systems for more than 12 weeks following the initial infection.
Clinical Symptoms: One of the largest studies done over the period of 7 months has reported systemic symptoms, including fatigue (98.3%) and post-exertional malaise (89%). The most frequent symptoms with cardiovascular involvement were heart palpitations (67.4%), tachycardia (61.4%), and pain/burning in the chest (53.1%). Fainting was reported by 12.9% of respondents. 77.4% of these respondents experienced dyspnea, which persisted among 37.9% of respondents after seven months. Almost 20% of the patients were diagnosed with POTS syndrome during this study.
Dyspnea(Shortness of Breath) in long COVID patients can be multi-factorial, with involvement of lungs secondary to infection, pulmonary hypertension with dilation of the right side of the heart secondary to changes in lungs, and heart failure leading to shortness of breath.
Treatment: Patients are offered diagnostic tests based on the probability of disease and offered symptomatic treatment in most cases. Further research studies will be able to guide the physician better regarding the treatment.
Its the pandemic that never ended.
Fatigue is most common symptom that i have noticed after talking to many who are suffering from long covid.
Shortness of breath yeah , lungs seemed to have gotten weak ever since i caught covid.
I got covid and only had symptoms for about a day peaked overnight with achy legs and temp over 100 then ended in the morning and thereafter i got vaccine as well, but ever since I feel tired quite easily, as if ageing has fastened .