If caught early treatment can help stop the progression of the disease and prevent permanent lung scarring. My biggest concern is seeing symptoms that may suggest post COVID-19 interstitial lung disease because that can be life threatening if not well managed. Q: What symptoms may signal something more serious?Īs a lung doctor, coughing or breathlessness that lingers beyond three months catches my attention. Though none of these may seem life-threatening, if any symptom is impacting your quality of life, you should speak with your healthcare provider. Other possible symptoms range from cognitive impairment to loss of smell and taste. Once again, this can be a part of the healing process but, if it doesn’t self-resolve within three months, it may signal something bigger. Outside of the lungs, I commonly see fatigue in many of my patients. However, be sure to talk with your doctor to make sure that there is not something else going on as these symptoms, accompanied by others may signal something more serious. Shortness of breath is another common healing symptom because, as your lungs heal, they aren’t going to be functioning at 100% yet. In the case of COVID-19, this cough could last for as long as six months after the viral infection, especially if the patient contracted Omicron because it is more airway dependent than the original strain. So, when a patient comes in, I ask them “could your symptoms be a part of healing?” The most common symptom that signifies healing is a lingering cough because coughing is your lung’s way of sweeping out dead cells. One of the things I try to prepare patients for is that it is very common to have symptoms after a bad infectious disease, especially if it hits the lungs. Q: What are the most common long-term symptoms?

Fatigue, cognitive impairment and just overall not feeling like themselves happen across the board. I have personally seen that post-COVID seems to hit the younger age groups more severely. Q: Are certain age groups at higher risk of post-COVID? Numerous conversations with patients about ongoing symptoms make him well poised to answer some of the most pressing questions we have about the long-term effects of COVID-19. understands more than most the effects that long-term COVID symptoms can have on people’s lives. As one of three doctors at John Hopkins Medical Center that runs the post-COVID clinic, Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D.

After effects of covid cough