About Post-COVID Syndrome

Mar 8, 2021 | Desiree Ahrens | @ahrensdesiree | Comments (6)

Anyone who has had COVID-19 may develop continuing symptoms. It does seem to be more common in people who had a more severe course, especially for those who were hospitalizedIt may also occur in those who initially had none or minimal symptoms. From our experience, we tend to see post-COVID-19 symptoms more commonly in women, and why this is remains unclear at this time. Find out more information on long term effects of COVID-19 on MayoClinic.org. Our Self-Care section is a great starting point. 

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Watch the video as Dr. Vanichkachorn talks on CNBC about Post-COVID Syndrome.

Summary of Video

Research is varied

  • Study in Italy found 80% of patients were still experiencing symptoms 2 months after
  • Study in London found 10% of patients were still experiencing symptoms 1 month after

Long Term Impacts

  • Fatigue
  • Brain fog
  • Shortness of breath, cough

Underlying Causes

  • A lot of research trying to uncover
  • Doesn’t believe this is an ongoing acute infection
  • Current hypotheses include
    • alterations in blood flow
    • autoimmune state
    • increased inflammation for the longer term

Hospitalized patients don’t make up the majority of Post-COVID syndrome patients

  • anybody can come down with after their infection

Research

  • starting with identifying who patients are and their characteristics
  • more research efforts are developing

Learn more about the common symptoms of Post-COVID Syndrome. Follow the Newsfeed and share your experience with others in the Post-COVID support group.

Interested in more newsfeed posts like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery blog.

Has anyone but have have extreme issues ? It starts in the evening & worse at night, it wakes me up & I wet a cloth & spray with wintergreen. It lasts for hours then it goes way until the next night. My b/p is down real low the next morning . I would appreciate some feedback. Thanks Barbara

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It has been 2 months and I still don't have 100% taste and smell back...and I experience the brain fog frequently. (and headaches) it's super frustrating!

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Hi @barbaracasey and @kimesita, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I invite you to connect with other COVID long-haulers in the COVID-19 support group here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/covid-19/

Barbara, I think there may be a word missing in your message. What issues do you have that start in the evening and wake you up at night?

Kim, it's surprising how much the loss of of taste and smell affects our daily living and appreciation of life. Are you the cook at home? How has this affected your ability to cook for yourself and for others?

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I am sometimes the cook. I am fortunate to have a husband who also likes to cook (and is frankly much better at it than me). I just stick to what I know, and regardless of smell, I know it will taste all right (unless it is over cooked!)

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I have osteoarthritis which is fairly isolated to the medial compartment of both of my knees. I came down with Covid in early December. I had a mild case compared to those that have to go into the hospital. In January I began having severe pain in both of my knees. I am absolutely convinced that it's from Covid, like it's settled there and won't go away. It's so bad that my life has been altered big time. I no longer can walk or stand for longer than maybe 10 minutes. I have been getting steroid injections for several years, but I have a knee replacement scheduled next month at the Mayo and I'm very nervous. I wish there was more information on the after effects of covid relating to knee joints. I have researched this so much and have found very little information which I know is because this is all still very new. Has anyone else noticed that their joints are bothering them way more after having Covid?

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@lsmorgan

I have osteoarthritis which is fairly isolated to the medial compartment of both of my knees. I came down with Covid in early December. I had a mild case compared to those that have to go into the hospital. In January I began having severe pain in both of my knees. I am absolutely convinced that it's from Covid, like it's settled there and won't go away. It's so bad that my life has been altered big time. I no longer can walk or stand for longer than maybe 10 minutes. I have been getting steroid injections for several years, but I have a knee replacement scheduled next month at the Mayo and I'm very nervous. I wish there was more information on the after effects of covid relating to knee joints. I have researched this so much and have found very little information which I know is because this is all still very new. Has anyone else noticed that their joints are bothering them way more after having Covid?

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@lsmorgan, have you mentioned your concerns to your surgeon? As you know, at Mayo Clinic doctors worked collaboratively and your surgeon may wish to consult with infectious diseases experts who are at the front lines of COVID research and experience. The study of COVID long haulers is by no means complete. But our top experts are learning more and more about long term effects every day.

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