Causes and Treatments for Long Haul Covid

Ask a Doctor: What is post-COVID-19 syndrome, also called long-haul COVID, and how is it treated?

COVID-19 can be a severe illness for some people, but even worse can be long-term symptoms that follow afterward. Irina Bg/Shutterstock

Anywhere from 10 percent to 80 percent of people experience prolonged illness and symptoms after COVID-19 infection, which may last for months. This means that anywhere from 5 to 40 million people around the world may be suffering from post-COVID syndrome or long-haul COVID.

Persistent symptoms have appeared in patients of all ages, even children who only had minor COVID-19 infections, regardless of whether or not hospitalization was required. Additionally, there is no firm consensus regarding which risk factors make patients more likely to acquire long-haul COVID, although a Mayo Clinic study found that three-quarters of those with long-haul COVID were women.

Symptoms of Long COVID

In a May 2021 review article in Infectious Diseases, author Shin J. Yong summarized the published literature to date on the symptomatology, pathophysiology, risk factors, and treatments for people experiencing persistent or unusual symptoms after being sick with COVID-19.