Some people get the coronavirus and it kills them; others get it and don’t even know it; and then there are the Long Haulers, those with Long COVID, or Post-COVID Syndrome. Long Haulers had COVID, maybe even a mild case, but will suffer for months, possibly years, possibly a lifetime, with debilitating symptoms that make them feel in an “internal prison.” It will happen to at least 10% of those who get COVID, so knowing the signs is essential, and now, a big, new study into Long COVID has chronicled 63 symptoms people said they had, from cardiovascular, respiratory, dermatologic, neurological and more. Read on to hear about the most common—and the least common—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss the full list of Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.
According to the CDC, “the most commonly reported long-term symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Joint pain
- Chest pain”
Fatigue is the most commonly reported Long Hauler symptom, per experts, although a fever (of 100.4 degrees or higher) was the most common symptom among Long Haulers in the study. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading pandemic expert, says Long COVID can resemble Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, a post-viral syndrome that can impact all systems of the body and leave people floored, fatigued, in pain, and no longer themselves.
Per the study and the CDC, Long Haulers also commonly suffer from:
- “Difficulty with thinking and concentration (sometimes referred to as ‘brain fog’)
- Depression
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Intermittent fever
- Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)”
Keep reading for the less common symptoms.
Patients who never had an allergy, or perhaps had a dormant allergy, are seeing allergies rise up, leading in some cases to an anaphylaxis reaction. “Anaphylaxis causes your immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can cause you to go into shock — your blood pressure drops suddenly and your airways narrow, blocking breathing,” reports the Mayo Clinic. “Signs and symptoms include a rapid, weak pulse; a skin rash; and nausea and vomiting.”
Blood can pool in your veins after COVID. “Varicose veins are caused by blood pooling in the veins. This makes them bulge out. Varicose veins most often occur in the legs, but they can appear other places too,” reports the NIH.
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Peeling skin can happen in kids who have COVID also. “Several children have developed a rare condition similar to a known condition called Kawasaki disease,” Dr. Charles Crutchfield, a Board-certified dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, told ABC News. “Many of these kids tested positive for COVID-19, and doctors are suspecting a strong connection. Symptoms include a red, itchy, bumpy rash all over the body, and a red peeling rash on the trunk area.”
Tinnitus doesn’t mean you simply lose your hearing; it can mean a pitched-frequency is ringing in your ears. “In those who had COVID-19, a large percentage reported that their tinnitus worsened,” Eldré W. Beukes, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher and research audiologist at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, United Kingdom, told Healio Primary Care. “We know that viral infections can cause hearing loss and in some cases problems like vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis. It’s also possible that the effect of having the virus increased stress due to related anxieties surrounding being in the hospital, not being close to relatives and worrying about what’s going to happen.”
Contact a medical professional if you feel you have Long COVID. Although they may not have any answers for you—the affliction is still being understood, and CFS/ME has long been misunderstood—there are centers for Post-COVID care, and various ways they can treat the symptoms, if not the disease. Meanwhile, to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.