What is Long COVID?

Since the World Health Organisation declared a global pandemic in early 2020, COVID-19 has infected more than 50 million people worldwide. While most people recover relatively quickly, others continue to experience symptoms long after infection. This is known as ‘Long COVID’ and can see patients suffer from ongoing breathlessness, fatigue and pain.

Stories of Long COVID have emerged from around the world and are becoming increasingly common, including in patients who weren’t admitted to hospital and didn’t experience serious symptoms. As cases grow, experts are warning the consequences of Long COVID could have a serious impact on the overall health and wellbeing of the global population.

Headaches, heart damage and depression linked to Long COVID

Despite the prevalence of Long COVID, extraordinarily little is known about why symptoms continue to persist long after the infection has been cleared. One of the most common symptoms is severe exhaustion, with chronic fatigue experts warning this can have a debilitating impact on quality of life. Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, have also been linked to Long COVID, along with headaches, heart damage, muscle aches, eyesight problems and loss of taste and smell.

A recent Italian study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed the extent of Long COVID, with researchers reporting 87% of patients were still experiencing symptoms two months after contracting the virus. Of patients surveyed, more than half suffered from fatigue. “This study found that in patients who had recovered from COVID-19, 87.4% reported persistence of at least 1 symptom, particularly fatigue and dyspnea,” reads the discussion.

In the UK, the COVID Symptom Tracker App confirmed that out of around four million people, roughly 12% reported symptoms after 30 days. A recent study from Dublin delivered similar results and suggested 50% of COVID-19 patients continue to experience exhaustion 10 weeks after infection.

Experts warn of permanent damage to immune system

Professor Tim Spector, a researcher at King's College London, says the ongoing symptoms could be caused by lingering pockets of the virus. “If there's long-term diarrhoea then you find the virus in the gut, if there's loss of smell it is in the nerves - so that could be what's causing the problem.” Other experts theorise the virus could permanently damage the immune system and prevent it from returning to normal function.

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