More than two years have passed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2022 may be the first year with reduced or even no social restrictions. With the Omicron variant and its sub-variant BA.2 now confirmed to cause less aggressive disease than infection with earlier variants, the US and many other countries around the world seem to be currently preparing for the end of the crisis. However, while preliminary data suggests that Omicron may cause less severe disease, this variant also spreads more quickly than any of the previous strains, which means more and more people will become infected this year.
The long-term effects of COVID-19 have worried scientists and doctors alike ever since the beginning of the crisis in 2019. According to the Mayo Clinic, lasting health problems can include breathing problems for some patients, heart complications, chronic kidney disease, ischemic stroke, and even Guillain-Barre syndrome, for others. With the last being a disease that causes temporary paralysis, the only thing that seems to be certain when discussing the long-term effects of COVID-19 is the fact that these effects can be severe, even life-threatening. In fact, recent studies show that COVID-19 is not a respiratory disease but a vascular disease that can, in time, affect numerous organs.
What is long COVID and why it matters
Long COVID is a condition with so many implications that it has become the subject of multiple concerns, discussions, and studies, including some by the World Health Organization (WHO). For some COVID patients, even if the primary disease and infection are cured, they are followed by multiple negative effects. Some patients come out of the disease with almost all the organs affected. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom (UK) estimates that as many as 1 in 10 patients with COVID will ultimately develop long-term symptoms of the disease. Under these circumstances, post-COVID recovery is now becoming the new burden for health systems around the world.
Although there is no clear way of establishing what patients actually suffer from with long COVID, the disease covers a broad range of symptoms such as tiredness, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating. The BBC also lists among the symptoms of long COVID: extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain or tightness, problems with memory and concentration — the so-called “brain fog,” — changes to taste and smell, and joint pain. According to the same article, no standard test for long COVID is currently available, and doctors diagnose the disease by ruling out other possible causes for these symptoms.
From long COVID to the risk of mental health disorders
If long COVID has been theorized from the beginning of the crisis, other negative effects of the pandemic and the virus that caused it are just beginning to show. Among these consequences is the higher risk COVID patients face of developing mental health disorders. According to a new study, suffering from this illness puts patients at a significantly higher chance of confronting new mental health conditions. Symptoms like depression, anxiety, stress, substance use disorders, cognitive problems, and sleep issues also seem to accompany COVID-19. These disorders may add pressure to the already existing crises of suicide and overdoses.
According to the same study, patients with more severe cases of COVID, especially those who were hospitalized, face a higher risk of developing mental health disorders. However, even people with mild or asymptomatic cases of the disease are more likely to encounter these negative consequences of the virus when compared to healthy individuals. The new research also showed that patients who suffer from COVID are more likely to face mental disorders. And people already suffering from mental health disorders are more likely to become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Treating mental health disorders among the general population and especially among survivors of COVID-19 should probably become a priority in the future.
Facing a post-pandemic future
With the emergence of Omicron and its sub-variants, the healthcare crisis seems to become more manageable as the symptoms of the disease become less severe. However, symptoms of long COVID and risks of developing mental health disorders are real among COVID-19 survivors, and they are also likely to remain with us for some time. If past efforts were made to develop effective vaccines and treatments, future efforts would most likely concentrate on erasing the negative effects of the virus and the disease it provokes. This, however, may prove equally challenging.
