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Long COVID
| Long COVID | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Long-haul COVID, post-COVID-19 syndrome, post-COVID-19 condition, post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), chronic COVID syndrome[1] |
| Symptoms | Highly varied, including post-exertional malaise (symptoms worsen with effort), fatigue, muscle pain, shortness of breath, chest pain and cognitive dysfunction ("brain fog")[2] |
| Duration | Weeks to years, possibly lifelong[3] |
| Causes | COVID-19 infection |
| Risk factors | Female sex, age, obesity, asthma, more severe COVID-19 infection[4] |
| Frequency | 50–70% of hospitalised COVID-19 cases, 10–30% of non-hospitalised cases, and 10–12% of vaccinated cases[3] |
Long COVID or long-haul COVID is a group of health problems persisting or developing after an initial period of COVID-19 infection. Symptoms can last weeks, months or years and are often debilitating.[3] The World Health Organization defines long COVID as starting three months after the initial COVID-19 infection, but other agencies define it as starting at four weeks after the initial infection.[2]
Long COVID is characterised by a large number of symptoms that sometimes disappear and then reappear. Commonly reported symptoms of long COVID are fatigue, memory problems, shortness of breath, and sleep disorder.[5][4][6] Several other symptoms, including headaches, mental health issues, initial loss of smell or taste, muscle weakness, fever, and cognitive dysfunction may also present.[5][6] Symptoms often get worse after mental or physical effort, a process called post-exertional malaise.[5] There is a large overlap in symptoms with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).[2]
The causes of long COVID are not yet fully understood. Hypotheses include lasting damage to organs and blood vessels, problems with blood clotting, neurological dysfunction, persistent virus or a reactivation of latent viruses and autoimmunity.[3] Diagnosis of long COVID is based on (suspected or confirmed) COVID-19 infection or symptoms—and by excluding alternative diagnoses.[7][8]
As of 2024, the prevalence of long COVID is estimated to be about 6–7% in adults, and about 1% in children.[9] Prevalence is less after vaccination.[10] Risk factors are higher age, female sex, having asthma, and a more severe initial COVID-19 infection.[4] As of 2023[update], there are no validated effective treatments.[3][5] Management of long COVID depends on symptoms. Rest is recommended for fatigue and pacing for post-exertional malaise. People with severe symptoms or those who were in intensive care may require care from a team of specialists.[11] Most people with symptoms at 4 weeks recover by 12 weeks. Recovery is slower (or plateaus) for those still ill at 12 weeks.[11] For a subset of people, for instance those meeting the criteria for ME/CFS, symptoms are expected to be lifelong.[3]
Globally, over 400 million people have experienced long COVID. Long COVID may be responsible for a loss of 1% of the world's gross domestic product.[9]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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pmid37433988was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f Davis HE, McCorkell L, Vogel JM, Topol EJ (March 2023). "Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations". Nature Reviews. Microbiology. 21 (3): 133–146. doi:10.1038/s41579-022-00846-2. PMC 9839201. PMID 36639608.
- ^ a b c Chen C, Haupert SR, Zimmermann L, Shi X, Fritsche LG, Mukherjee B (November 2022). "Global Prevalence of Post-Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Condition or Long COVID: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 226 (9): 1593–1607. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiac136. PMC 9047189. PMID 35429399.
- ^ a b c d "Long COVID or post-COVID conditions". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services. 20 July 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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pmid37182545was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Al-Aly Z, Davis H, McCorkell L, Soares L, Wulf-Hanson S, Iwasaki A, et al. (August 2024). "Long COVID science, research and policy". Nature Medicine. 30 (8): 2148–2164. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03173-6. PMID 39122965.
- ^ Byambasuren O, Stehlik P, Clark J, Alcorn K, Glasziou P (2023). "Effect of covid-19 vaccination on long covid: systematic review". BMJ Medicine. 2 (1): e000385. doi:10.1136/bmjmed-2022-000385. PMC 9978692. PMID 36936268.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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