COVID-19 turned our worlds upside down back in March, and it has been the main focus for many medical professionals since. Because it is a novel coronavirus, we did not, and still do not, know too much about it. Fortunately, as time goes on, we are learning more and more. Now that many have recovered from the virus, we can begin to study the long-lasting impacts. According to Express, two of these lingering symptoms include fatigue and brain fog.
About COVID-19
COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China back in December. Since then, it has gone on to infect over 20 million people throughout the world, resulting in over 800,000 deaths. It spreads from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. Once someone is infected, it can take anywhere from two to 14 days to show symptoms, although some people have been infected and not experienced any symptoms. Common effects of this virus include fever, loss of taste and smell, sore throat, fatigue, chills, cough, issues with breathing, headache, congestion, runny nose, body aches, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. They can range from mild to severe, and they are often the most severe for those who are immunocompromised or have prior respiratory issues.
Lasting Symptoms
Doctors have found that many COVID-19 patients are still experiencing fatigue and fogginess, even after they have recovered from their initial infection. In fact, they have found that a lot of these symptoms are similar to those experienced by chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients. Both groups have reported feeling exhausted after completing every day tasks, being unable to think clearly, and needing to remain in bed for up to weeks at a time. Due to these similarities, medical professionals suspect that a CFS-like illness might take hold after recovery.
Unfortunately, little is known about both of these illnesses. Doctors still do not completely understand CFS, so they cannot apply their knowledge of it to COVID-19. More needs to be learned about both of these illnesses, including the causes, how to best treat them, and why they happen to some people and not others.
What limited research medical professionals have indicates that blood clots could be partially responsible for the lingering symptoms in COVID-19 patients, and Lyme disease or other illnesses could cause CFS. People’s baseline immune systems could also influence both of these illnesses.
Hopefully, medical professionals continue to research both of these conditions, as these patients need a viable treatment option. Read more about it here.
