Living with long COVID

With two million adults in England experiencing coronavirus symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks*, looking after yourself has never been so vital

- DR PHILIPPA KAYE

Coronavirus. COVID. Corona. COVID-19. Whatever you choose to call it, it has impacted the lives of every person. There have been lockdowns and restrictions, waves, school closures, isolation and more, and every patient in my surgery has been affected in some way. I have had patients who have had it and been fine, had it and only known because they did a test, had it and been seriously unwell in hospital, and some have passed away. I have patients whose lives have been impacted by financial implications, educational implications, mental health issues, physical health problems, relationship changes and more. We have all been touched by the virus. But, since early 2020, there has been a group of patients whose lives have been affected and continue to be affected by the infection – those who develop long COVID.

Most people who develop the coronavirus infection have a mild infection and get better within a few days to a week, and the majority of people are fully recovered by 12 weeks. We don’t know why some patients develop long COVID while others do not, and it doesn’t seem to be related to the severity of your initial infection. Approximately one in five patients with COVID-19 may have symptoms of long COVID, most of whom continue to slowly improve.

Long COVID can affect most organ systems in the body. The most common symptoms include fatigue or tiredness, which is not relieved by resting. This includes ‘brain fog’, which is the term used to describe how cognitive functioning is affected, such as difficulties with memory and concentration. And brain post-exertional malaise, too – which means that the symptoms are worse after you have exerted yourself, be that physically with exercise or mentally, for example, work or stress.