For now we’ve got a pretty good idea of how the virus behaves inside a human body and some potential long term risks. Combating the spread of the virus is a battle we have fought hard for nearly two years. The combination of vaccines, anti-viral drugs and various public health measures has finally done the trick – but there still remains a significant challenge: post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long covid or PASC).The post acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) referred to here are symptoms that continue long after the person is supposedly fully recovered from an episode. To many people, the virus still remains in subtle and hard to detect ways. In addition to causing pain and suffering in and of itself, these lingering symptoms have been causing all kinds of trouble both for those who bear them and those who have been called upon to investigate why they occur.
What We Know About Long Covid And The Millions It Affects Worldwide Long covid, which got its name from the group of symptoms which seem to persist long after a Covid-19 infection has passed, is very broad in meaning. Its symptoms involve nearly every organ system to a greater or lesser extent. Some patients may recover after only a few weeks with the virus, while others continue haversing its effects months afterwards and some may be left damaged permanently. “I would call long covid a condition if you want to put a name on it,” says Zhenzhen Wu from Duquesne University, “but actually the conditions and symptoms are still under investigation.” There’s plenty of scope yet for sorting out exactly what form causes what symptoms- and what is used for the treatment of each
Long covid is defined as lasting more than three months after the first infection, with no clear cause in mind but with treatment required. Both etiology and mechanisms remain under investigation. Lingering Symptoms of Long Covid Long covid is diverse. Different patients will show different symptoms–from mild to disabling or anywhere in between. The most common symptoms reported are:
Fatigue and Weakness
Long COVID can cause chronic fatigue syndrome – that tiredness which no amount of sleep, no mere pill will change. Physicians have no certain therapeutic regimen and it should be known that what works for one person might not for another. But there are also ways to try and control the symptoms; they include making dietary changes to have less sugar and more green vegetables, plus getting enough sleep, etcetera.
Shortness of Breath
People often go on coughing, even during illness. They find that their breath is short after just a little effort. What were simple tasks in the past become quite strenuous.
Cognitive Impairement (Brain Fog)
The cognitive symptoms of long COVID are informally known as “brain fog”, but in reality they are impairment of memory, thought process, general haziness in the mind and so forth. This is especially vexing for patients who have to go to work or want to do everyday things.
Joint and Muscle Pain
Many long COVID victims experience joint pain—usually in multiple points of the body-. The manifestations may be accompanied by stiffness or tenderness, while sometimes these aches hinder locomotion.
Headaches
Chronic headaches are a common symptom of long COVID, and those who suffer from them describe them as severe and long-lasting. They can be brought on by tension, overstraining your eyes, or a change in air pressure, and this just adds to the sufferer’s discomfort.
Sleep
As a result of long COVID, many sufferers have a disturbed sleep. This disturbance frequently worsens other indications such as fatigue and mental confusion.
Losing Taste and Smell
Many people with long COVID have symptoms of taste and smell returning or burning, swelling of the linings in their nose. Believed to be due to injury to the olfactory nerves as brought on by COVID-19. The exact method by which this loss of sensation occurs is not yet known.
Heart Palpitations and Chest Pain
Termed “long COVID,” a growing number of patients are complaining of heart-related symptoms such as palpitations (rapid or irregular heartbeats) and chest pain. These symptoms have drawn growing attention more recently over worries that after being infected with COVID-19, these patients might then develop cardiovascular complications that last.
Digestive Issues
Long COVID can also affect the gastrointestinal system, causing such symptoms as nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gas. These symptoms may continue for a long time after the acute phase of infection is over.
The Mechanisms Behind Long COVID
The cause of long COVID is still unknown, but several possible explanations are under investigation by researchers. These cases include:
Immune System Dysfunction
A leading theory is that long COVID is associated with an excessive immune response. After the virus is removed from the body, the body’s immune system may continue to remain active, attacking healthy tissue (as depicted in the picture below, causing inflammation and other long-term symptoms associated with autoimmune diseases).
Viral Persistence
A second possibility is that SARS-CoV-2 virus fragments can continue to reside in the body and in particular in tissues such as the gut or brain, causing chronic symptoms. This means the virus never completely goes away, but stays on to trigger inflammation.
Damage to Organs
COVID-19 infection can cause various organs damage in the acute phase. Some of this harm may continue, especially in the lungs, heart, and kidneys, resulting in such ongoing aspects as shortness of breath and palpitations.
Microclots
There is evidence that long COVID may be caused by the formation of microclots (small clumps of blood in the circulation), which interfere with blood flow and result in such symptoms as fatigue, brain fog, and muscle pain. The exact role of microclots is still being investigated.
Research on the Causes and Treatments of Long COVID
Research is indispensable to figuring out what is behind long COVID and what we might do about it. At present, researchers are investigating the contribution of immune responses, viral persistence within the body, and injury to organs, for example. They are also seeking therapies that will fix these basic problems. However, long Covid is a huge and still mysterious disease; it impacts numerous people throughout the world. Much has been discovered since the initial outbreak in 2002, but it has only been in the past couple of years that people have begun to realize exactly how far-reaching effects Coronavirus can have on our lives. Through further research, it is hoped, treatments can be found which are both efficacious and we shall acquire a greater understanding of how to ameliorate the lasting consequences this global pandemic will bring. For the moment, people with long COVID can only be treated with symptom management and those who are constantly in difficulty should seek help from healthcare professionals. Today, when the world is still reeling from the after-effects of COVID-19, understanding and curing long Covid is a frontier of medical research that is fast becoming as important as any in history.