Springfield, IL -(Effingham Radio)- The following is a message from the HSHS Medical Group in partnership with Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois.
There is no doubt the COVID-19 virus has affected millions across the United States, but what happens when COVID-19 symptoms don’t go away? In some cases, people are suffering long-term effects of the virus. These symptoms have caught the attention of cardiologists who are monitoring patients for elevated heart rates and potential heart damage. Brian Miller, MD, a cardiologist with Prairie Cardiovascular and president of the Sangamon County Board of Health, answers some questions about long COVID.
What is long COVID or post-COVID syndrome?
“Long COVID is used to describe individuals who experience symptoms more than a month after the illness,” said Dr. Miller. “It is common for COVID-19 symptoms to take up to a month to resolve. Whether those symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe, research has shown that a percentage of people are having long-term symptoms related to the virus.”
What are the long-term symptoms of COVID-19?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common long-term symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, joint pain and chest pain.
Health experts have found two types of long-term symptoms, severe and more common effects that often could be mistaken for other health-related issues.
“The most severe form of long-term symptoms is permanent damage,” said Dr. Miller. “COVID-19 attacks the body in a range of ways, causing damage to the organ system. Research has shown damage of the lungs, blood clotting that leads to loss of limbs or stroke and heart damage.”
“There is a list of more common, less severe symptoms that can be mistaken for other underlying diseases,” said Dr. Miller. “Some of these symptoms are generalized fatigue, brain fog (can’t think properly), anxiety, depression, continuous fever or sweats, continued loss of smell or taste and body aches.”
Cardiologists are raising concerns about the lasting damage COVID-19 has on the heart. One study examined cardiac MRI’s of over 100 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 symptoms and compared them to individuals who were not infected by the virus in a two-month span. After two months, 78% of the individuals who were affected by COVID-19 had more troubling cardiac signs compared to those who were not affected by the virus.
Who is at higher risk for long-term symptoms?
“Anyone who had COVID-19 and experienced symptoms would be at an increased risk of having COVID-19 syndrome,” said Dr. Miller. “If you didn’t have symptoms when experiencing the COVID-19 virus, you will not have this syndrome. The risk is higher in those who had severe symptoms after contracting the virus.”
What should individuals do if they believe they have post-COVID syndrome?
“The first thing you should do is evaluate the symptoms and make sure they are not being caused by a different underlying health issue,” said Dr. Miller. “Just because you had COVID-19 doesn’t mean these symptoms are related. Healthcare providers have seen cases where patients have PTSD and severe anxiety from the trauma and long hospitalization caused by COVID-19, leading to misdiagnosis.”
Miller suggests scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician if your symptoms last longer than a month. “Doctors understand you want to get back to normal activities, but it is important to ease into it, especially with exercising. Your primary care physician can help get you on the path to full recovery,” Miller said.
To make an appointment with a cardiologist, call 217-757-6120 or 888-4PRAIRIE or visit prairieheart.org.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, JAMA Cardiology
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