MADISON (WKOW) – For some, a COVID-19 infection results in persistent symptoms months after recovery. Now, UW Health is giving more information about the condition informally known as a COVID-19 “long hauler”.
Dr. Aurora Pop-Vicas is a specialist in infectious diseases with a focus on post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, the technical name of the disease.
She said that patients who experience prolonged symptoms can be divided into two groups: those who were hospitalized during their initial illness and those who were not.
“Patients who were ill with severe illness and were hospitalized and perhaps had been on prolonged life support for weeks to months will have a very high risk of residual symptoms after discharge,” she said.
She said that large-scale studies in other countries found that almost 75% of this group reported at least one persistent symptom six months after discharge from the hospital.
The most interesting group, however, contains patients who initially had only mild cases of COVID-19, but are still struggling with symptoms.
“Instead of recovering quickly, like most patients, within two weeks, they started to have persistent symptoms,” she said.
Pop-Vicas said the data show that about 10% of this group report long-term symptoms.
What symptoms are common?
Pop-Vicas said that the most typical symptoms of “long distance” are fatigue and muscle weakness. She said other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, joint pain and difficulty sleeping, are also common.
Some patients also report an increase in depression or anxiety.
What causes the condition?
Pop-Vicas said doctors and scientists still don’t know enough to find a definitive cause for persistent symptoms.
She said that some theories include persistent inflammation or an overactive immune system.
She said there is also no clear treatment because doctors do not know what is causing the phenomenon.
“Until we understand, biologically, the explanation for the syndrome, we don’t have specific pharmacological treatment after COVID syndrome,” she said.
Studies of other respiratory diseases have shown gradual improvement in symptoms, Pop-Vicas said.