Experts express concern over long COVID. How to catch the symptoms?

The number of infections and deaths amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has steadily fluctuated since the past year. Experts have shown concern about the number of ‘long COVID’ cases. The term ‘long COVID’ is where a person would experience a wide range of returning heath conditions that could remain for weeks or for some even months even after they have recovered from a COVID infection. Some of the common symptoms that could come under long COVID include heart palpitations difficulty in breathing, stomach pain and altered sense of taste.

Dr. Jason Maley, the director at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre’s long COVID clinic, revealed that so far they have not experienced in any slow down in the demand for long COVID care and is constantly increasing. As per figures, long COVID has affected nearly 23 million Americans as of March, 2022. The symptoms of long COVID vary from person to person  and that makes it difficult for the experts to understand the problem. It also makes it tough for the physicians to diagnose. Maley said that there is still lack of familiarity and knowledge of long COVID even amidst the medical community.

Here are a few points that can help you to know if you have long COVID.

1. After testing positive for COVID, it is advised to get self-checked  in about a month after recovery. You could also look out for symptoms that include changes in the way you think, memory, ability to perform work and your regular functioning at home.
2. While some of the symptoms might not seem related to the condition, but fatigue should not be ignored. Tiredness that remains prolonged even days after strenuous activity can also be a sign of long COVID.
3. There are also chances that you might not feel exhausted when you are being active, but you could experience overwhelming exhaustion hours after or even after a day or two.
4. Severe COVID-19 illness  or underlying health conditions can also lead to long COVID. Here self-check is of utmost importance.

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