Long COVID: What are the symptoms and treatments?

COVID-19 infections are on the rise again in America, prompting renewed concerns about “long COVID.” Though this surge seems smaller than previous winter waves, it’s nonetheless concerning as the holidays loom. Here’s everything you need to know about lingering COVID symptoms, causes, and treatments:

What is long COVID?

“Long COVID” refers to health problems that linger long-term after a coronavirus infection. These might include fatigue, difficulty breathing and chest pain, headache and brain fog, digestive problems, and other symptoms like stomach, joint, or muscle pain, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who suffer from a serious bout of the virus, have underlying health conditions prior to infection, or are unvaccinated are believed to be at increased risk of developing these “post-COVID conditions,” as the agency refers to them, but anyone who contracts the virus is susceptible. 

Symptoms are typically first identified about four weeks after the initial infection, and can then last weeks or even months. They may come and go. Additionally, long COVID might not affect everyone the same way, often making diagnosis difficult. It’s not yet clear how much of a difference the vaccines make: A large U.S. study published in May indicated coronavirus inoculation only slightly protects against long COVID, while a meta-analysis from early December estimated that at least one dose of the vaccine is almost 30 percent effective against the condition. 

What causes long COVID?

Some experts believe an intense immune response during a primary COVID-19 infection may lead to inflammation and damage throughout the body, eventually resulting in long COVID, The New York Times reports. Another theory is that the immune system never really returns to baseline after infection. Some researchers point to possible virus-inflicted damage to the brain or the vagus nerve, which could explain symptoms like cognitive decline and gastrointestinal problems, respectively, per Time. Ultimately, it’s unlikely that long COVID has one single cause, considering the myriad of symptoms with which it’s associated, infectious disease physician Dr. Gemma Lladós told Time.

How is it diagnosed?

Given the condition’s wide array of symptoms, doctors must rely on patient descriptions — and a  process of elimination — to diagnose long COVID, reports the Times. But some researchers are working to identify biomarkers that correspond to certain post-COVID conditions, like inflammation.

Is there a cure for long COVID? 

Not at the moment. But there are certain steps long-haulers can take to hopefully ease and treat their symptoms. Make sure to talk to your primary care doctor; if you’re concerned that what you’re feeling is COVID-related, there is no need to wait. Otherwise, you might check out a post-COVID clinic, a number of which are cropping up nationwide and offer multidisciplinary and individualized care, both the Times and the The Washington Post report. Be warned, however: Accessing a clinic might mean out-of-state travel, and can also prove difficult depending on your insurance. If you’re medically-eligible and also dealing with a bout of the virus, you might even try the COVID antiviral Paxlovid — a large study published in November found that those who ingested the drug within days of being infected appeared less likely to encounter long COVID months later. The study was not peer reviewed, though, and it suggests Paxlovid could lessen the risk of long COVID in older adults or those with certain health problems, not necessarily in younger, healthier individuals. 

Experts have indicated that “rehabilitation through low-paced gradual increases in activity is key to recovery,” in addition to symptom-specific treatment, the Post writes. But overall, experts advise remembering that healing isn’t linear and will take time.

How common is long COVID?

large CDC study found that one in five previously-infected adults under the age of 65 has experienced at least one symptom that could be considered long COVID. In those older than 65, that breakdown increases to one in four. And, “in an indication of how seriously the [agency] views the problem of long COVID,” writes the Times, the authors of the study recommended “routine assess­ment for post-COVID conditions among persons who survive COVID-19.”

For both age groups — above and below 65 years old — COVID patients’ risk of developing respiratory symptoms and lung problems doubled compared to uninfected individuals, the study found. Regardless of age, the most commonly reported post-COVID infection symptoms were respiratory issues and musculoskeletal pain.

Long COVID “is real, definable, and causes significant patient suffering,” Bruce Levy of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told the Post in February 2022. “The majority of people who got acutely infected felt totally normal before they had their infection, and now they don’t feel normal. That’s jarring.”

Updated Dec. 9, 2022, to include new findings about long-term symptoms. 

COVID-19 infections are on the rise again in America, prompting renewed concerns about “long COVID.” Though this surge seems smaller than previous winter waves, it’s nonetheless concerning as the holidays loom. Here’s everything you need to know about lingering COVID symptoms, causes, and treatments: What is long COVID? “Long COVID” refers to health problems that linger long-term after a coronavirus infection. These might…

COVID-19 infections are on the rise again in America, prompting renewed concerns about “long COVID.” Though this surge seems smaller than previous winter waves, it’s nonetheless concerning as the holidays loom. Here’s everything you need to know about lingering COVID symptoms, causes, and treatments: What is long COVID? “Long COVID” refers to health problems that linger long-term after a coronavirus infection. These might…