Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, recurring, or continuous health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. These post-COVID conditions may also be known as long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, long-term effects of COVID, or chronic COVID. CDC and experts around the world are working to learn more about short- and long-term health effects associated with COVID-19, who gets them, and why.

People commonly state experiencing different combinations of the following symptoms:

1. Breathing difficulty 

2. Tiredness or fatigue 

3. Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities 

4. Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”) 

5. Cough

6. Chest or stomach pain 

7. Headache 

8. Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

9. Joint or muscle pain 

10. Pins-and-needles feeling 

11. Diarrhea 

12. Sleep problems 

13. Fever 

14. Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness) 

15. Rash 

16. Mood changes 

17. Change in smell or taste 

18. Changes in period cycles 

According to a report in Sin Chew Daily, medical experts pointed out that brain fog is one of the long-term symptoms often seen in patients with COVID-19. Symptoms of brain fog include memory problems, unclear mind, poor concentration, and confusion.

Researchers have identified several possible causes. These include lung injury that leads to hypoxia, inflammation that affects brain cells, the autoimmune diseases that cause the immune system to attack healthy cells in the body, as well as the swelling of small blood vessels in the brain that leads to insufficient blood flow and cells invading the brain. 

In addition to medication, patients with brain fog can improve their condition through a healthy lifestyle, such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating well, not smoking or drinking, staying in touch with relatives and friends through social media, and engaging in activities that are beneficial to the body and mind.

Stay safe and take care, everyone!