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One of the most common myths regarding COVID-19 is that it&rsquo;s only severe or deadly to older adults or patients who have other serious health conditions &mdash; a myth that&rsquo;s now been disproven as we&rsquo;ve all learned that the coronavirus not only infects but also dangerously impacts people of all ages and degrees of wellness.
				But what&rsquo;s become even more clear as the pandemic has progressed is that not everyone who survives COVID-19 can expect a speedy recovery.
				Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome is a term used to describe a cluster of symptoms and complications that can be persistent in a patient for months after the COVID-19 infection has subsided.
				Patients affected by this syndrome are commonly called &ldquo;long-haulers.&rdquo;
				Little is known about this worrisome syndrome at this point, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests ongoing effects in patients may result from an inflammatory state gone out of control or organ damage caused by the body&rsquo;s immune response to COVID-19.
				Symptoms can include:
				&#8226; Fatigue
				&#8226; Labored breathing
				&#8226; Cough
				&#8226; Chest pain
				&#8226; Joint pain
				Among the more severe complications are:
				&#8226; Heart inflammation and heart muscle weakness
				&#8226; Lung function abnormalities
				&#8226; Kidney injury
				&#8226; Rash or hair loss
				&#8226; Prolonged loss of taste or smell
				&#8226; Sleep disturbances
				&#8226; Impaired memory or cognition (often described as &ldquo;brain fog&rdquo;)
				&#8226; Depression, anxiety, mood changes
				In patients who experience a milder infection, recovery can happen in short order, but if you asked patients who&rsquo;ve had COVID-19, only about a third of them will tell you they feel normal after roughly two or three weeks.
				Among survivors, the virus comes and goes, with even the most severely ill reaching a point where they are no longer contagious after about 20 days from their first symptom, but symptoms can remain for an extended period of time.
				Beyond the symptoms and complications experienced by those with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, there are other, more serious diseases that can occur in just about anyone who&rsquo;s had COVID-19, although they tend to be more common in older patients or those who have pre-existing problems like diabetes, heart conditions, lung disease and obesity.Among these complications are:
				&#8226; Heart rhythm disorders
				&#8226; Blood clots that can cause swelling in the limbs
				&#8226; Stroke
				&#8226; Secondary infections
				With this set of complications, patients can end up back in the hospital for emergency care or ongoing treatment. When it comes to the post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, treatment is focused on reducing symptoms. With some, like joint pain, common medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (for example, Ibuprofen) can provide relief. With others, like fatigue, it may be that time is the only solution.
				If difficulty breathing persists or worsens, patients should seek care immediately. But for treatment of milder, persistent symptoms, they should consult their primary care physicians. Your doctor&rsquo;s knowledge of your health history will best inform how to develop a plan of care.
				We have much to learn about the aftermath of COVID-19. It&rsquo;s likely that we&rsquo;ll continue to discover lasting effects of this disease as we continue to study it. But what we know now is it&rsquo;s highly contagious and causes serious infection and death in a concerning percentage of people who contract it.
				And what we&rsquo;re beginning to see is, even if you don&rsquo;tend up with a severe form of the infection, you might end up dealing with its aftershocks for far longer than you&rsquo;d ever want to. So, wear your mask; wash your hands; stay away from anyone who doesn&rsquo;t live in your household whenever possible; and get your flu shot. These safety precautions continue to be our best defense against COVID-19.

Post-COVID syndrome affects patients for ‘long haul’