Long COVID
Long COVID, also known as long-haul COVID or chronic COVID syndrome, refers to the long-term symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Not everyone who has the disease will get long COVID.
About
Some people feel better in a few days or weeks, and most people with long COVID will make a full recovery within 12 weeks.
The chance of having long-term symptoms is not linked to how ill someone is when they first get the disease (COVID-19). It can happen to anyone. In 2023 about 2.2 million people in the United Kingdom - some 3.4% of the population were thought to have Long Covid. The symptoms are similar to chronic fatigue syndrome.
List of symptoms
Symptoms reported by people with long COVID include:
Extreme fatigue
Long lasting cough
Muscle weakness
Low grade fever
Inability to concentrate (brain fog)
Memory lapses
Changes in mood, sometimes accompanied by depression and other mental health problems
Sleep difficulties
Headaches
Joint pain
Needle pains in arms and legs
Diarrhoea and bouts of vomiting
Loss of taste and smell
Sore throat and difficulties swallowing
New onset of diabetes and hypertension
Heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
Skin rash
Shortness of breath
Chest pains
Palpitations
Kidney problems (acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease)
Changes in oral health (teeth, saliva, gums)
Anosmia (lack of sense of smell)
Parosmia (changed smells)
Tinnitus
Blood clotting (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism)
References
COVID-19 pandemic
Diseases