Coronavirus symptoms: 5 long COVID symptoms to look out for

Not just during the infection period, the effect of COVID is seen in many even after the infection subsides. Referred to as long COVID, this condition is as menacing as the infection itself. However, unfortunately many people do not realize the effect of long COVID until it exacerbates the health of the individual.

It is therefore important to know the symptoms of long COVID so that one can take medical assistance on time.

In simple words, if one experiences mild to severe effects post-COVID it is called long COVID. "Post COVID-19 condition, also known as “long COVID,” refers collectively to the constellation of long-term symptoms that some people experience after they have had COVID-19. People who experience post COVID-19 conditions sometimes refer to themselves as long-haulers," says the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Few common long COVID symptoms are fatigue, breathlessness and cognitive dysfunction like confusion, forgetfulness, or a lack of mental focus and clarity.

Experts have found a connection between long COVID and nerve damage. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the National Institutes of Health have revealed evidence of peripheral neuropathy; the symptoms of which are weakness, pain in the hands and feet and fatigue.

“Our findings suggest that some long COVID patients had damage to their peripheral nerve fibers, and that damage to the small-fiber type of nerve cell may be prominent," lead author Anne Louise Oaklander, an investigator in the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital told Harvard.

On the effect of the condition, the researcher has said, “I think what's going on here is that the nerves that control things like our breathing, blood vessels, and our digestion in some cases are damaged in these long COVID patients.”

One of the pressing issues of the time is dealing with depression. While many hold pandemic lockdowns responsible for the rise in cases of depression since the pandemic outbreak, experts have found a link between depression and long COVID as well.

"People who have been infected with COVID-19 are three times more likely to experience anxiety, and nearly twice as likely to experience depression, and 2.6 times more likely to have both conditions, than people who have never had COVID-19, says a study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine.

Experiencing trouble in concentrating after recovering from COVID, is one of the common symptoms. Long-COVID symptoms can include inattention, cognitive troubles, fatigue, behavioral troubles and other neurological symptoms, experts have said.

"COVID can cause damage to the brain directly by encephalitis, which may have devastating or subtle consequences," says a Harvard study and adds that in many people a profound degree of cognitive impairment is seen.

As per a health journal, this neurological problem is seen in almost 25% of people after recovering from COVID.

Read: Why some of us don't catch COVID

The pinching sensation which occurs when you sit for a long time is what many people experience post COVID. One of the most common COVID symptoms, tingling sensation is not just irritating, it's worrisome as well as it affects the normal functioning of an individual.

"Chronic numbness or tingling can be a symptom of any number of disorders: stroke, tumor, multiple sclerosis - to name a few. Also, nerve entrapment disorders, where a nerve gets compressed or restricted by nearby tissues can cause paresthesia accompanied by pain. (Carpel Tunnel Syndrome is an example of a nerve entrapment disorder). COVID-19 can also cause numbness and tingling in some people. It is difficult to predict who may get paresthesia following COVID," says a report by University of Michigan.

COVID affects many organs and the lethal effects of it are mostly seen in the heart. “COVID-19 is a perfect storm for the heart", the World Heart Federation (WHF) had said at the beginning of the pandemic. Many people complain of heart issues after recovering from COVID.

A 2021 research study had found that a week after a COVID-19 diagnosis, the risk of a first heart attack increases by three to eight times. The studyon 87,000 people, of which 57% were women, also found that in the following weeks, risks of blood clot and heart attack decreased steadily but stayed elevated for at least a month.

Experts also link COVID to heart related problems like myocarditis and pericarditis.