Long COVID is a term used to describe the signs and symptoms that continue to develop after an acute infection of COVID. Depending on how long the ongoing symptoms persist it can be called:

  1. On-going symptomatic COVID – where symptoms continue for more than 4 weeks and are not due to existing chronic health conditions
  2. Post-COVID syndrome where symptoms continue for longer than 12 weeks and cannot be explained by other conditions.

 

Symptoms

Respiratory and Cardiovascular

Breathlessness

Cough

Chest tightness

Chest pain

Palpitations

Signs of severe lung disease

Severe hypoxaemia or oxygen desaturation on exercise

Generalised

Fatigue

Fever

Pain

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (in children)

Neurological

Cognitive impairment (brain fog, loss of concentration or memory issues)

Headache

Sleep disturbance

Pins and needles or numbness

Dizziness

Delirium (in older people)

Gastrointestinal

Abdominal pain

Nausea

Diarrhoea

Anorexia and reduced appetite (in older people)

Weight loss

Musculoskeletal

Joint pain

Muscle pain

Psychological

Depression

Anxiety

Ear, nose and throat

Tinnitus

Earache

Sore throat

Loss of taste and/or smell

Dermatological

Skin rashes

If you feel that you may have ongoing symptoms post-COVID we help you by referring you to:

  • our practice social prescriber for social support
  • a post-COVID assessment clinic
  • integrated and coordinated primary care community services, rehabilitation and mental health services
  • integrated multidisciplinary assessment (Huddle)
  • specialist care for specific complications

For self-help you can visit the post COVID recovery website at https://www.yourCOVIDrecovery.nhs.uk/