Long COVID Symptoms – Signs & Effects

Long COVID symptoms – One way or another, COVID-19 has been affecting the lives of every human being since its first spread in November 2019. Not just poor or developing nations, but coronavirus has also affected developed and more advanced countries such as The United States, United Kingdom, and Italy.

In two years, COVID-19 came back in multiple waves with different variants starting from alpha and beta to all the way omicron. It has been more than two years since the first spread, and now experts are looking for the aftermath.

The one thing which came in the research was the long COVID effects and long COVID symptoms. Experts are more concerned regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19 rather than just a temporary safe.

Just like a normal COVID infection, the long COVID also has a few symptoms related to it. Many people experience these long COVID symptoms once they have successfully recovered from the infection of COVID-19. Let’s take a look at these symptoms.

Fatigue

From the long list of long COVID symptoms, fatigue is the first one, and most of the people who have recently recovered from the infection are experiencing it.

Even experts have recently raised their concern regarding the full recovery of COVID-19, as most of the people who have been labeled recovered have been experiencing fatigue Since day one.

The fatigue people experienced during their first infection of COVID-19 kept going for a longer period of time, and now it has become one of the most popular long COVID symptoms.

The doctors advise everyone to take good care of themselves, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet to recover from fatigue and other long COVID symptoms.

Shortness of breath

Similar to fatigue, most people are also experiencing shortness of breed along with fatigue. It is also a very common symptom of COVID-19, and even after recovery, it continues into long COVID symptoms.

If anyone gets serious symptoms of COVID-19, such as severe infection in the lungs, the shortness of breath can stay for a longer period of time.

As you are already aware, long COVID lung damage takes more time to recover rather than general symptoms. 

Pain

Pain is another common long-term COVID symptom. Many people feel pain in their chest when they breed, which is directly related to lung infection. This pain can also create shortness of breath as people try to take Slow breaths.

Apart from that, joint pain and muscle pain are also very common long COVID lung damage. Experts believe that internal weakness after the infection of COVID-19 creates fatigue in the body which can also be the reason for muscle and joint pain.

At the same time, headaches and full-body pain are also becoming a more common long COVID symptom. If you have ever been infected with COVID-19, you should take good care of yourself.

Depression and anxiety

Even if you do not have any mental health situation, long COVID symptoms might create mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

As you are already aware, after recovering from the infection of COVID-19, you might experience fatigue, bad breath, and difficulty in breathing which can mess up your mental health and drag you into depression and anxiety.

Apart from that, any disease longer than 30 days contains the risk of depression and anxiety. And recovering from long COVID can take more than 30 days which can invite depression and anxiety. 

Experts suggest everyone take good care of their mental health along with physical health. You should spend more time with your friends and family to keep your mental health on a healthier side.

Loss of smell and taste

Many symptoms of COVID-19 turn into long COVID symptoms. And one of those long cold symptoms is loss of smell and taste. Many people who have already recovered from the infection are still experiencing either loss of smell or taste.

There are chances that you might experience only one either loss of smell or taste, but in some cases, people may experience both at the same time. Starting from the first infection, it can keep going on for more than 90 days or even longer.

Doctors suggest everyone keep working on their health and have a good diet, even if they are not able to taste any food items. 

Worsen the effects

As per the experts, there are high chances that your physical and mental activities might worsen the symptoms you already have.

In some cases, after exercise or mental activity, long COVID symptoms such as pain, difficulty in breathing, and depression get worse than ever before.

Even though it is very normal and you should not worry about it, if you feel you are getting worse and worse, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Experts say that long COVID symptoms will go away over time. You should keep doing lightweight exercises and take good care of your diet as well.

Organ damage

At first, experts and doctors were not concerned about the organ damage due to COVID-19, but by the second wave and further infection, the organ damage due to COVID-19 came to light.

Apart from your lungs, COVID-19 kill also damages other organs, including your heart, kidney, and brain. These serious diseases can also cause long COVID symptoms, including shortness of breath, mental health issues, etc.

Some adults and children have already experienced multisystem inflammatory syndrome after they were infected by the COVID-19. It is a condition in which organs and tissues around the organ become severely inflamed.

Blood clots

As you are already aware that covered in 19 can make blood cells more likely to clump up and form clothes, that is why experts and doctors are more concerned about blood clots and blood vessel problems.

These blood clots and blood vessel problems can cause heart attacks and strokes. Apart from that, they can also damage the heart by blocking the blood vessels.

Blood clot does not just affect the heart, but they can also affect the lungs, legs, kidney, and liver. These blood clots can also weaken the blood vessels and cause them to leak; eventually, it becomes a long-lasting problem.

Other mental problems

Even if you did not have any problem related to your mental health before the first infection of COVID-19, there are high chances that you might gain some mental problems, including concentration loss and sleep problems.

Recently in many cases, people reported memory loss, less concentration, and sleep problems after recovering from severe COVID-19 infection. That is why experts have recently categorized these mental problems into long COVID symptoms.

You should be aware that any loss in your concentration or memory can also be a long COVID symptom.

General weakness

Apart from all these serious and common problems, you might experience general weakness, and then you stand up. Many people have reported that they feel dizziness even after months of recovering from COVID 19.

Experts are more worried that general weakness caused by long COVID symptoms can even slow the recovery phase. You might not feel good, and there is a high chance that you might feel a pounding heartbeat.

You should be very careful while doing any physical activity, including exercise. You should always carry water and something to eat during your exercise time.

How does long COVID affect people’s lives?

“This is a condition that can have a huge impact on people’s lives,” says Professor Martin McKee, director of research policy at the World Health Organization’s European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

“Many are unable to return to work or have a social life. Many have described how it affects their mental health, especially as the course of the condition is often fluctuating; just as they feel they are getting better, the symptoms return.”

Because long COVID affects people’s ability to work, it has “important economic consequences” for them, their families and for society, Professor McKee adds.

The Observatory believes action to tackle the wider consequences of Long COVID should include focusing on employment rights, sick pay policies, and access to benefits and disability support.

It also states that sufferers have reported feeling stigmatized and found themselves unable to access services: “They have struggled to have their cases taken seriously and get a diagnosis, received disjointed and siloed care, and found specialist care to be mostly inaccessible and variable across countries. There are also real problems with access to sickness and disability benefits.”

Takeaways

After two years of first spread, novel coronavirus is still affecting our lives one way or another. It keeps coming back in waves and different variants each time.

Recently scientists and experts started discussing the after-effects of COVID-19, including long COVID symptoms.

There have been many cases where people are still experiencing COVID-19 symptoms even after a year or more of recovery.

For example, many people experience fatigue, shortness of breath, general pain in the body, joint pain, and chest pain. These are the few common long COVID symptoms.

Apart from these, fever, dizziness, depression, and anxiety, sleep problems can also affect you for a longer period of time.

No matter what, you should keep doing lightweight exercises and maintain a good diet for faster recovery.

Which food item can increase long COVID symptoms?

Even though there are no food items that can increase long COVID symptoms, experts usually advise everyone to stay away from any kind of smoking, including vapes. You should generally avoid tobacco products that can directly affect your lungs.

What should I do for fast recovery from long COVID symptoms?

There are multiple things that you can try to recover from long COVID symptoms. For example, you can do lightweight exercises on a regular basis and maintain a good diet. If you are a smoker, then you should pause or even quit smoking till you completely recover from long COVID symptoms. Alcohol can also flow or be processed, so you should avoid it.

Is there any treatment for long COVID symptoms?

No, there is no direct treatment that can help you recover from long COVID symptoms, but you can maintain a good diet and do regular exercise.

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