A broad range of symptoms can continue to be experienced by people infected with COVID-19, often long after the acute symptoms from the virus have gone. This constellation of persistent symptoms, also called long COVID, or post-COVID syndrome (PCC) — including fatigue, exhaustion, disordered sleep, muscle pain, and cognitive problems — is similar to the spectrum of symptoms seen in chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). PCC has been associated with serious medical, psychosocial, and economic consequences and can cause significant disability.
During the Post Covid-19 conditions pandemic, reports began to emerge that some people had persistent symptoms weeks or even months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, despite laboratory recovery from the initial acute disease. This phenomenon became known as “long COVID.”
People who experienced severe or fatal illness with SARS-CoV-2 might experience organ damage affecting the lungs, heart, nervous system and liver. They may also have lingering problems from their time in the intensive care unit, which can contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder. Other factors, such as social isolation and changed daily routines can exacerbate the symptoms.
Health care professionals are working with individuals who have ongoing symptoms to help them manage their health and well-being. Some provinces have opened clinics where patients can receive support and treatment from multidisciplinary teams.
The new study, published in the BMJ, aims to assess, for each person with COVID-19, how their symptoms evolve over the medium (minimum of 3 months) and long term (maximum two years), and identify factors that influence this evolution. It is expected that the results will lead to more understanding of the natural history of COVID-19 related illnesses and provide valuable information for healthcare strategies, clinical decision-making, and policy interventions.
In addition to the baseline questionnaire, participants were asked to complete a series of follow-up questionnaires every three months and report any changes in their symptoms or overall wellness. The questionnaires included topics such as the presence of COVID-19 symptoms, their impact on day-to-day functioning, quality of life, and underlying health conditions. Other variables assessed were the impact of work and home environment, change in vaccination status, and healthcare use.
While the study was unable to determine why some people had longer-lasting symptoms, the researchers found that most people improved or reported no worsening of their symptoms over the course of six months and a year. They suggest that more research needs to be done on the long-term effects of COVID-19, and that future studies should address complexities such as multiple virus strains, varying vaccination statuses and different symptom trajectories.