In some people, lasting health effects may include long-term breathing problems, heart complications, chronic kidney impairment, stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome — a condition that causes temporary paralysis. Some adults and children experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome after they have had COVID-19 .

What are some of the lingering side effects of COVID-19?

A full year has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the mind-boggling aftermath of the virus continues to confuse doctors and scientists. Particularly concerning for doctors and patients alike are lingering side effects, such as memory loss, reduced attention and an inability to think straight.

Can COVID-19 have lasting effects?

Some people who had severe illness with COVID-19 experience multiorgan effects or autoimmune conditions over a longer time with symptoms lasting weeks or months after COVID-19 illness. Multiorgan effects can affect most, if not all, body systems, including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain functions.

What are some neurological long-term side effects of COVID-19 after recovery?

A variety of neurological health complications have been shown to persist in some patients who recover from COVID-19. Some patients who recover from their illness may continue to experience neuropsychiatric issues, including fatigue, 'fuzzy brain,' or confusion.

How long does the post-COVID condition last?

Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience more than four weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

22 related questions found

How long can a patient still feel the effects of COVID-19 after recovery?

Older people and people with many serious medical conditions are the most likely to experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms, but even young, otherwise healthy people can feel unwell for weeks to months after infection.

What are post-COVID conditions?

Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience more than four weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Can COVID-19 cause other neurological disorders?

In some people, response to the coronavirus has been shown to increase the risk of stroke, dementia, muscle and nerve damage, encephalitis, and vascular disorders. Some researchers think the unbalanced immune system caused by reacting to the coronavirus may lead to autoimmune diseases, but it's too early to tell.

What are the neurologic symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19 does appear to affect brain function in some people. Specific neurological symptoms seen in people with COVID-19 include loss of smell, inability to taste, muscle weakness, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, dizziness, confusion, delirium, seizures, and stroke.

What are some of the ways COVID-19 infection affects your brain?

Boldrini explains her research on the psychiatric symptoms seen in COVID-19 patients. The disease may be best known for its ability to rob people of their breath, but many patients report an array of cognitive and psychiatric issues — memory lapses, fatigue and a mental fuzziness that became known as brain fog.

What are some of the persistent symptoms of COVID-19?

The most common persistent symptoms reported in the follow-up survey were fatigue and loss of taste or smell, both of which were reported among 24 patients (13.6%). Other symptoms included brain fog (2.3%).

What is long COVID syndrome?

Long COVID or post-COVID-19 are umbrella terms that refer to COVID-19 symptoms that persist beyond the initial phase of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

What are some symptoms of COVID-19 long haulers?

Those individuals are often referred to as “COVID long-haulers” and have a condition called COVID-19 syndrome or “long COVID.” For COVID long-haulers, persistent symptoms often include brain fog, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and shortness of breath, among others.

Can COVID-19 cause severe organ damage?

Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study revealed the protein signals given off by platelets—cell fragments that contribute to blood clotting—create inflammation, abnormal clotting, and damage to vessels when exposed to the pandemic virus.

How does your immune system act after you recover from COVID-19?

After you recover from a virus, your immune system retains a memory of it. That means that if you get infected again, proteins and immune cells in your body can recognize and kill the virus, protecting you from the disease and reducing its severity.

What are Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19?

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, also known as “long COVID,” is used to describe the long-term symptoms that might be experienced weeks to months after primary infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Does COVID-19 cause tingling or numbness in limbs?

COVID-19 does appear to affect brain function in some people. Specific neurological symptoms seen in people with COVID-19 include loss of smell, inability to taste, muscle weakness, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, dizziness, confusion, delirium, seizures, and stroke.

Is dizziness a neurological symptom of COVID-19?

An earlier published study from China found dizziness to be the most common neurological manifestation of COVID-19. Dizziness was proposed to occur ensuing the neuroinvasive potential of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.

What is brain fog following COVID-19?

“Brain fog” is a widely reported issue following COVID-19. A new study has found problems with memory, attention, and thought processing in people several months after recovery from COVID-19. People hospitalized for COVID-19 symptoms were most likely to experience cognitive impairment.

What other illnesses are caused by coronaviruses?

Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Can COVID-19 cause an autoimmune disease?

Widespread and long-term inflammation during severe COVID-19 may cause the immune system to produce antibodies to pieces of the virus it wouldn't normally recognize. Some of those pieces might resemble human proteins enough to trigger the production of autoantibodies.

What are some potential multiorgan effects of COVID-19?

Some people who had severe illness with COVID-19 experience multiorgan effects or autoimmune conditions over a longer time with symptoms lasting weeks or months after COVID-19 illness. Multiorgan effects can affect many, if not all, body systems, including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain functions.

Is it possible to face a severe COVID-19 reinfection?

CDC study suggests some patients could face more severe Covid-19 with reinfection

It's important to note, however, that while the study indicated coronavirus antibodies protect against reinfection to a significant extent, it also suggested that reinfection can occur.

What happens if a recovered person from COVID-19 develop symptoms again?

If a previously infected person has recovered clinically but later develops symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 infection, they should be both quarantined and retested.

How long after being infected with COVID-19 can multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) occur?

This new and serious syndrome, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A), occurs in adults who were previously infected with the COVID-19 virus and many didn't even know it. MIS-A seems to occur weeks after COVID-19 infection, though some people have a current infection.