By Andrea Hargraves 
The so-called prolonged COVID, as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a condition characterized by Relief and return Typical symptoms of COVID-19 Over the course of four weeks or more.
Among the typical symptoms of a prolonged coronavirus, the following stand out:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- fatigue
- Feeling of tightness after exercise (eg physical activity)
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating (called “brain fog”)
- cough
- Chest or stomach pain
- Headache
- Rapid heart rate or racing
- Joint or muscle pain
- Numbness
- Diarrhea
- Sleep disturbances (eg insomnia)
- fever
- Dizziness
- skin irritation
- mood change
- Change in smell or taste
- irregular menstruation
“In general, symptoms affect patients who have had moderate to severe disease, but they do not exclude those with milder cases,” Andrea Almeida, an infectious disease specialist at Servidore Publico Estadual Hospital (HSPE).
What is the difference between COVID-19 and the long COVID?
According to Andrea, COVID-19 and prolonged COVID are characterized by the time they appear in the patient’s body.
“COVID-19 is an acute multi-system disease. On the other hand, long-term COVID has one or more symptoms of the acute phase for several months, resulting in a deterioration in the quality of life.”
Is the long COVID a supplement to COVID-19?
This does not mean that COVID in the long run is a complement to COVID-19. That is: a complication that will remain forever in the patient’s body.
“It takes time, clinical monitoring and research to be able to determine if these clinical conditions are chronic complications, genetics or patient-specific conditions, or even etiology and reactivation of pre-existing diseases,” the infectious disease specialist notes.
Is long-term treatment for COVID the same as treatment for COVID-19?
The current mechanism used for the long-term treatment of COVID varies according to the symptoms reported by patients, as the goal is to relieve discomfort so that the person can return to their activities.
However, there are still no ways to prevent COVID in the long term or to conclusively identify who will or will not develop the condition.
The key, in this case, is to prevent COVID-19 through basic care, such as the use of a mask, social distancing and the COVID vaccine.
Is it possible to die from COVID that long?
at Cardiovascular and neurological complications are the most serious in long-term cases of COVID, according to Andrea. “It can even develop in a serious way, even fatal.”
“There are studies that show risks and increased mortality in the first six months after a patient has contracted COVID-19, mainly due to heart attack, stroke and thromboembolic disease,” the doctor tells.
It also highlights that patients who develop moderate and severe COVID-19 are mostly elderly and have comorbidities.
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