Covid Long Haulers: When Age Plays A Role

Source: rocket50

By: rocket50 Staff

Date:   February 16, 2023

Covid Long Haulers: When Age Plays A Role

One of the consequences of Covid is that all too often, it doesn’t “just go away”. This is not the flu. We hear about people getting Covid, then they’re back at work as if nothing happened. Those are the lucky ones. A good example is the US White House staff last fall. The majority likely felt fine in a week or so and resumed their normal activities but the director of the White House security office didn’t just recover from Covid. He had amputations of his right foot, lower right leg, and big toe on his left foot and spent three months in intensive care. Covid irrevocably changed his life.

Meet the long haulers, Covid survivors battling symptoms weeks/months after infection.

The long haulers manifest a wide range of ongoing symptoms. They may have trouble concentrating or have breathing difficulties. They suffer from dizziness, insomnia, confusion, a racing heart or a host of other lasting effects that keeps them from getting back to their normal lives. A study of 1,733 hospitalized coronavirus patients published in The Lancet examines these  long-lasting conditions:

• 3 out of 4 Covid-19 patients still suffered from at least one symptom.
• Fatigue and muscle weakness, 63%.
• Sleep difficulties, 26%.
• Anxiety and depression, 23%.
• Diminished lung function, 25%.

Age is a factor

The Lancet study found that reports of fatigue or muscle weakness rose 17% for each ten-year increase in age. “Because Covid-19 is such a new disease, we are only beginning to understand some of its long-term effects on patients’ health,” said study author Bin Cao, M.D., director of respiratory and critical care medicine at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. “Our analysis indicates that most patients continue to live with at least some of the effects of the virus after leaving hospital.”

Even patients with mild cases are reporting long-term symptoms

Doctors found that those with mild cases of the disease or those never hospitalized were also reporting long-term symptoms, said Christian Sandrock, M.D., an infectious disease and pulmonary critical care specialist at the University of California, Davis. “They got Covid, felt crummy at home but were never hospitalized,” he said. “Yet they never fully got better, or new symptoms developed. Those are my patients.”

Eleven months later: Fatigue and heart palpitations

Such is the case of one of Dr. Sandrock’s patients, 63-year-old Marina Oshana. Oshana picked up what she thought was a nasty bug in February 2020 that turned out to be Covid-19. She was exhausted for a few weeks, running a low-grade fever and a bad cough, but symptoms never got so bad that she thought she needed to go to the hospital. Eleven months later, she is still battling fatigue, heart palpitations and a blood oxygen level that sometimes drops to dangerous levels. “Now I have to really dial it back. It’s frustrating not to be able to do what I did before.”

Causes of ongoing symptoms: Covid’s ability to invade blood vessel cells

Many doctors believe these prolonged symptoms are related to the coronavirus’s ability to invade blood vessel cells and cause irregularity in flow and clotting, blocking tiny blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the brain, heart and lungs.

Fatigue is the most common complaint of long haulers

Researchers are also looking into whether Covid is triggering chronic fatigue syndrome. Some patients are too exhausted to go back to work. They may struggle to get out of bed. Others report feeling winded when they do only a fraction of their previous activity. MRIs showed heart inflammation in 60% of patients who had recovered from severe Covid-19.

Sleep disturbances common even for those with mild Covid-19 illness

Others wake up multiple times during the night. It’s unclear how much of the insomnia is related to the general anxiety and social isolation caused by the pandemic and how much is physiological.

Anxiety/depression, cognitive impairment/memory loss

Not surprising, participants with more severe illness were more likely to report anxiety or depression. Many of the patients exhibited memory loss and inability to concentrate. There are other miscellaneous symptoms, including taste and smell disorder, dizziness and joint pain. Scientists continue to learn about this disease, and it’s complicated by the new strains and/or mutations. We may be dealing with this disease and its effects for a long time.

Treatment for Long Covid

If you have been experiencing some or many of the symptoms mentioned above  you should see your doctor. In the meantime, here are are some tips for managing long Covid symptoms

Managing fatigue and breathlessness

• Don’t over exert yourself - give yourself enough time to get things done and don't rush through your day
• Consider the best time of the day to do certain activities based on your energy levels.
• Frequent short rests are better than a few longer ones, so rest before you become exhausted.
• Increase the amount of exercise you do. Take short walks or do simple strength exercises using a light weight or just your own body weight
• Boosting your mood and mental health
•  Connect often with other people. They can help you feel happier and give you a better perspective.
•  Having a daily routine can be good for your mood and sense of stability.
•  Stay active – continuing to move will help release endorphins and improve your mood.
• Managing the symptoms of brain fog
• Make notes to help you remember things – whether it’s in work meetings or medical appointments.
• Make a clear plan before approaching any new or complicated problem or situation - break it down into steps, and keep checking your plan as you follow it.
• Exercise – especially the kind that makes you breathe a bit faster and feel a bit warmer. Start gradually and don’t overdo it. Check with your doctor before taking up a new exercise regime.
• Eat for your brain health. A Mediterranean diet including olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts and beans, and whole grains has been proven to improve thinking, memory., and brain health.
• Stick to the recommended alcohol limits or don’t drink at all. 
• Try to get as much sleep as you need. 
• Try to do things that are known to stimulate the brain and also improve mental health – such as social activities, learning something new, and practicing mindfulness.
• Relieving joint or muscle pain
• Flexibility exercises (like stretches, yoga and tai chi) and strength exercises (like climbing stairs, lifting weights and working with resistance bands) can be useful. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regime. 

What tests and treatments are there for long Covid?

There isn't one single test to diagnose long Covid. It's a condition that isn’t fully understood yet.

Speak to your doctor if you are experiencing lasting long Covid symptoms. They may refer you for tests to help understand how long Covid is affecting you and how it can be treated. Or it may even be that there is another cause for your symptoms.

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