It’s been four years since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and as we’ve learned more about how the infection develops, another condition called Long Covid has been uncovered.
Often when people are infected with Covid, they’ll feel better within a few days or weeks and will make a full recovery within 12 weeks. However, for others, symptoms can last longer and develop into Long Covid.
According to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland: “Long Covid is a blanket term which includes both ongoing COVID symptoms and new symptoms which may develop as a result of COVID-19 infection.
“COVID-19 is a severe and multi-organ disease, which may have lasting consequences on your body even after the virus is cleared from your system.”
While these symptoms can vary from person to person, the NHS has highlighted the most common Long Covid symptoms to look out for.
The most common Long Covid symptoms
The most common symptoms of Long Covid include:
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- feeling short of breath
- problems with your memory and concentration (“brain fog”)
- heart palpitations
- dizziness
- joint pain and muscle aches
However, there are other symptoms that could present, even if you didn’t have a particularly rough bout of Covid:
- loss of smell
- chest pain or tightness
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- pins and needles
- depression and anxiety
- tinnitus, earaches
- feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
- cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
- rashes
If you have been experiecing these symptoms for more than four weeks, get in touch with your GP.
If the symptoms are having an impact on your life, you may be referred to an NHS Long Covid service for children, young people or adults.
These services can include further testing for diagnosing and monitoring symptoms, physical and mental health assessments, treatment for symptoms and referral to rehabilitations.