More than five years have passed since a global pandemic was declared, but COVID-19 remains ever-present. However, more research is now available on the long-term effects the disease has on the human body. Dr. Melissa Lem has more on long COVID.

COVID-19 continues to affect people worldwide, with increasing research shedding light on the long-term impacts of the virus, known as long COVID. Dr. Melissa Lem reports that about 20% of those infected develop long COVID, with symptoms ranging from fatigue and shortness of breath to cognitive issues such as brain fog. Middle-aged women and individuals with pre-existing conditions are particularly susceptible, and the risk increases with multiple infections.

Vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of developing long COVID by about 50%, though it does not eliminate it entirely. Preventative measures such as masking and avoiding crowded indoor spaces remain important. While there is no definitive treatment, rest and, in some cases, antihistamines may help manage symptoms. Over time, many people experience improvement in their condition.

All about the long-term effects of COVID-19 infections

More than five years have now passed if you can believe it since a global pandemic was declared But COVID-19 remains ever present and ever present and there is more research on the long-term effects The disease has on the human body. Dr. Melissa Lim is our medical columnist and joins us now. Good to see you doctor We know some people recovered quickly from COVID and others got long COVID have been still dealing with this What are you seeing in your practice? Well, unfortunately Dan I do have several patients with long COVID in my practice and they range from younger patients in their 20s to Older patients those who are previously totally healthy and then also those with pre existing conditions And unfortunately, I also have colleagues close colleagues who suffer with long COVID sometimes being debilitated for years affecting their work and life after they get infection and this is unfortunately not Surprising because about 20% of people who contract COVID end up developing long COVID and interestingly enough early in the pandemic we heard lots of Recommendations to get vaccinated and in fact that is a way to reduce your risk of long COVID It cut your risk of developing it by 50% if you got it if you were infected when you were vaccinated already Is it also concerned though that the perhaps people who did get vaccinated and were up-to-date also got long COVID? Yeah, so it didn't completely eliminate your risk but it did reduce it and the thing about long COVID is is that unfortunately middle-aged women are more likely to contract it and And it's unfortunately again can be debilitating with those ongoing symptoms of fatigue and shortness of breath Dizziness and and memory and cognitive issues that can last for a long time when you talk about cognitive issues We've also heard this phrase brain fog people living with long COVID feeling like they're in a haze What what might be behind that? Well, the term brain fog really became more popular during the pandemic because after people were infected with COVID they were seeing more Problems with slow thinking word finding difficulties and memory issues and the the cause behind it One of the major causes is inflammation when your brain tissue is inflamed It doesn't work as well and also when you're dealing with those ongoing symptoms you tend to get more depression and anxiety which can also affect your cognition and in Terms of people who tend to get brain fog more often It's those who have more severe infection and also those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes heart disease Depression and anxiety and also being lower income can can increase your risk because those socio-economic factors come into play Why is it you mentioned middle-aged women? Why is it you say what we're seeing more cases or they're more susceptible? Scientists don't really know the answer to that but they think it has something to do with how your immune system Reacts to COVID-19 and it's really like playing Russian roulette anytime you catch it because the more times you catch it the more likely Your risk so about 15% of people who have COVID once developed long COVID But if you have it three or more times your risk is closer to 40% So it's really best to try to avoid it as much as you can and that primarily being through vaccines Vaccines masking avoiding crowded indoor spaces all those public health measures. We became really familiar with Are there any possible or effective treatment options for people who are living with long COVID? We know we've seen lots of studies about how people are doing and in Canada and the u.s Anything that that can give people some hope who live with this Well over time people do tend to get their symptoms do tend to improve and there are all kinds of things you can do if You catch COVID which is rest as much as you can Some people say taking antihistamines can also help kind of in the in the immediate term to prevent longer-term COVID and it's different because a lot of us are on the go We want to get back to life But the best thing you can do is rest and take the time you need to recover Otherwise your chances are typically higher. All right, dr. Melissa Lim. We appreciate your time and expertise as always. Thanks for keeping us up to date Thanks, Dan

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