Long COVID presents new challenges for the years ahead

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Long COVID presents new challenges for the years ahead

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic’s acute effects on people’s lives has appropriately held the nation’s attention, but the long-term effects that many people suffer is garnering increasing attention. Now officially termed Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), but formerly known as Long COVID, this syndrome represents a debilitating constellation of symptoms that persist long after a period when people should have recovered from the initial stages of the illness. People with Long COVID report fatigue, “brain fog,” gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disruptions, anxiety, muscle aches and much more. Surveys conducted by remarkable patient groups have found great heterogeneity among individuals in their types and cadence of their symptoms. Long COVID occurs in people who were initially very ill and in those who were initially without symptoms. One study from the UK reported that a median of five months after hospital discharge for COVID-19, only 29% felt fully recovered and one in five had a new disability—almost 40% had a severe or very severe mental and physical health impairment.

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