We have been talking for months primarily about three dominant outcomes for those infected with COVID-19: Some people die (especially in the case of elderly patients and those with underlying health problems), some people experience something like a bad flu, and some people notice not that they are completely infected. But for some, the coronavirus is neither deadly nor mild, with diseases lasting much longer than the average of 11.5 days. This group called themselves COVID-19 “long-haulers”, and their reported symptoms are broad and sometimes invisible, complicating the diagnosis and treatment of an already confusing disease. Thousands of these long-term traders are still ill for months after falling ill.
Here’s all we know about COVID-19 in the long run so far.
Many people with COVID-19 in the long term report a longer term of known symptoms such as a dry cough, chest tightness, headache, and fatigue. Others have reported an almost complete recovery, but report persistent problems with taste and smell, also called “anosmia”. (Most people who receive COVID-19 and experience loss of taste and / or odor will regain these senses within a few weeks.)
For other self-described long-haul carriers, symptoms are unpredictable, and may persist for weeks or months after the initial illness. These can include brain and uncomfortable thinking, numbness in the legs or arms, extreme lack of energy, and rings in the ears. Some of those with long-term COVID-19 symptoms have experienced heart complications, although it is important to note that most people in that group had pre-existing conditions (typically diabetes or hypertension).
It remains unclear how long people with COVID-19 will feel sick on average in the long run. However, we know that there are people who became ill in March and are still ill five months later. Further complicating the timeline is the fact that not all long-term sufferers have received positive tests of coronavirus, and some, after receiving an initial positive test, have since tested negative – but still feel sick. Despite known problems with the accuracy of the tests, these confusing test results have contributed to what many long-term carriers characterize as continuous discharge from physicians regarding their symptoms; many people with COVID-19 in the long run tell that doctors have told them that what they are experiencing is actually fear.
To date, there is no clear picture of who may experience long-term symptoms of coronavirus. Patients include women, men, older and younger people, and children. Some of these patients had underlying and / or chronic health conditions, but many say they were completely healthy prior to contracting COVID-19.
The CDC states that “prolonged symptom duration and limitation” are most common in adults admitted to hospital with COVID-19, but acknowledges that longer-term illness is also present in younger patients, citing other health conditions (both physical and mental). as risk factors for longer-term illness in those groups.
Doctors still do not understand every factor that contributes to the outcomes of patients ‘COVID-19’ – why, for example, some older patients remain asymptomatic, and why some younger, healthy patients experience months after the infection. The response of individuals to COVID-19 probably has a lot to do with the way their immune system responds to initial infection. In some patients, the body produces a reaction called a ‘cytokine storm’, such as an overproduction of immune cells, which can result in pneumonia, fluid buildup, and pneumonia. However, it is unclear why this happens to certain patients and not others.
These are questions that are being explored at a number of new clinics that have studied long-term and “post-COVID” disease, including Penn’s Post-COVID Recovery Clinic and the Center for Post-COVID Care at Mt. Sinai in New York.
