Long term effects of 'mild' covid?

[labyrinthloafer]

I read this today and wondered why there's not more discussion. This summary says 60% of those in this study still have symptoms that make it hard to take a walk, these were people who didn't need hospital.

Does anyone have any more info on this or know what research might be being done in the UK on this?

And do others worry about this? I am worried that 'mild' isn't really mild.

nltimes.nl/2020/06/12/shocking-nearly-recovered-covid-19-health-issues-months-later

Well everyone I know or have met that has had it (and that is at least 20 people) including myself, have all said that they are completely fine. My only residual symptom is that my sense of smell isn't as acute as it was. That study is hard to believe.

I still have an issue with my lungs and a niggling tickly cough, but apart fro that nothing. I'm tired, but I put that down to low iron.

Whilst not wanting to belittle the fact that some people do indeed seem to have ongoing issues, all that study says is -

of those who continued to have symptoms, 60% still had breathing symptoms.

It doesn't say anything about what percentage of all those who have had Covid have continuing symptoms. It could be 0.5%, it could be 20%, the study can't say.

The Longfonds, treatment center CIRO, and Maastricht University surveyed 1,600 people who reported they had symptoms after recovering from the coronavirus. Rutgers said it was the first time that these patients have really come into the picture, as most were never treated in medical centers. Longfonds and CIRO said 91 percent of respondents were not hospitalized, and 43 percent were never formally tested for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by this SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

It ia worrying however the sample is very biased. They only surveyed people who reported long tail symptoms, so completely discounts all the people who havent experienced this

I still have palpitations, breathlessness, difficulty in walking some days, flu like symptoms some days, skin lesions. The list goes on. It hasn't been a walk in the park for me.

Thank you for replies.

I am interested in this because a wider family member thinks they had it (early days so no test) and they are saying they have fatigue symptoms.

But yes - I see the quote picked out means the numbers are unclear.

I find the lack of info quite hard, I usually do my research but this time it's so sketchy.

@longtompot

I still have an issue with my lungs and a niggling tickly cough, but apart fro that nothing. I'm tired, but I put that down to low iron.

For some perspective having lingering coughs and symptoms off cold and flu viruses that last months isn't uncommon. Viruses can linger for a while.

The problem with Covid is the unknown.

@Seeleyboo

I still have palpitations, breathlessness, difficulty in walking some days, flu like symptoms some days, skin lesions. The list goes on. It hasn't been a walk in the park for me.

Sorry to read this @Seeleyboo

The 2 people I know who have had COVID still have major issues 18 weeks on (colleagues who caught it at same time). They are white, female, very healthy and under 40. Neither were treated in hospital but both have ongoing appointments for inhalers and heart palpitations. It's quite concerning.

I know one 40ish person who caught it in March and a 70 year old. Both have debilitating symptoms now.

Sorry to hear about all these people, they must be so worried! I hope they are getting checked. Going to need more lung specialists going forwards

I still have strange chest pains and breathing issues that come and go. It's like my lungs have become very sensitive and easily irritated. I get a strange tight feeling when I breath in deep. I was pretty ill at the time. DH wasn't but has similar problems now. DS aged 9 coughs every morning (he didn't use to). My other two children are 100% ok.

I have an appointment with a respiratory doctor in mid august. Don't know what they can do though.

Pretty sure I had it the first week in March, I had to be nebulised in A&E but because I hadn’t been abroad I wasn’t tested (or isolated at the gp who made me come in or hospital!!) and it was classed as an asthma attack. However I had a fever, dry cough, headaches, couldn’t hardly move for joint pain and it’s been 25 years since I had an asthma attack so I’m a bit . Anyway to get to the point I’ve felt like I was getting over glandular fever, extreme fatigue for weeks, barely able to get up stairs and brain fog. I’m still having odd days now where I’m bone crushingly tired and am having heart
palpitations and sporadic joint pain too as well as real trouble sleeping (I feel really jittery all the time). I honestly believe we’ve yet to scratch the surface of the long term issues of this

I caught it at the beginning of April and suffered really badly with my breathing, dry cough, fever, etc.
After 2-3 weeks, I then developed 'walking' pneumonia and tried 2 lots of different antibiotics on my GP's say so before I told them I didnt want any more as I suspected it was as viral as the meds weren't helping.

I wasn't considered bad enough for hospital though, although I did get sent in for chest x ray after the 1st set of meds, but I was told the trays were "ok, considering everything".

I still have a productive cough (green phlegm), but have since developed a runny nose and have lost my sense of smell.
I still spend hours every day coughing up crap and still get breathless very easily and fatigued on the slightest exertion.

The fever only lasted the 1st 10 days, then I had a high temp (but only just) and since then it's been pretty normal. My heart rate is often now 120 at rest when it used to be 68, and my O2 sats now hover around the low 90s, rather than the high 90s like they used to. It often still hurts to breathe as well.

There are 'long-termer' covid threads here on mumsnet - they make sobering but informative reading.

Those people who dismiss the long term effects would to well to read them. The NHS has also started to set up long term covid recovery services, which suggests that it's not really, really rare to have long term symptoms / illness.

I find all this quite interesting as, back in February, me and ds had a viral chesty/fluey type thing with a raging temperature and a hacking cough. Put it down to a seasonal bug, but ever since, I’ve been suffering from horrendous heart palpitations and shortness of breath. I’m waiting on having a 24hr heart monitor to see what’s going on. My 73yo father, who has COPD, also had the bug and is currently in hospital with heart failure. It may all be a coincidence, but I’d love to know if we all had it back then. How long are the antibody tests accurate for afterwards? I’m tempted to get one if I’ve not left it too long.

I had it in April, not tested at the time as was not available but have since had a positive antibody test. I still get out of breath walking up the stairs and I was training for a marathon prior to the lockdown but now struggle to run 5k. I think there are going to be a lot of long terms health problems as a result of this, really hopeful that mine aren’t permanent.

I had suspected covid and my breathing has been slightly worse since. My blood oxygen has been and breathing have been back to when I was a smoker. Plus I have a tickly cough. My sense of smell has come back as normal though, but it has been a couple of months and that was my first symptom. I'm still feeling quite run down

Thanks so much for responding and I am so sorry you're all experiencing these symptoms. I really hope all the various health problems improve.

It is really worrying and I think I will try to learn more. If I'm honest, I'm afraid because we're not being told much.

I have developed a blood clotting anomaly since having “mild” Covid in March - I have had 2 separate pulmonary emboli since then. I also know two other people whose mild/moderate Covid has led to thromboembolism (one a young man, the other a middle-aged man).

I still have detectable antibodies 4 months after the start of my Covid symptoms. (Long may they last).

The other person I know well who still has real issues (female, 20s) was not a mild case - she spent time in ICU in March/April and is still unable to work.

Six friends/family have had it (five of them under 50). One died, one is fine, four are still struggling with their health despite being classed as recovered.

Only the one who died was hospitalised the other five were classed as mild and four still struggling

@LarkDescending I’m so sorry to hear how your health is still suffering but I wanted to thank you for sharing this and prompting me to look into the research on blood clots. Myself and my kids have a condition that presents risks with blood clots so you’ve given me some much needed awareness. And there was me just worrying about my asthma. This virus is so complex and seems to affect people in more ways than we realise. I wish you a full recovery soon. Thanks again.

I’ve still got a weird tickle cough two months later. And I was barely ill.