April 11, 2023
Long COVID, or the continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, is a major concern for many patients and providers. It is estimated that 15-20% of individuals with a COVID-19 infection will develop Long COVID, which is characterized by a wide range of symptoms and severity. The exact cause of Long COVID is unknown, but it is believed to involve the presence of persistent inflammation, possibly induced by the actual persistent presence of COVID-19 virus in the body despite testing negative for the disease. Age between 50-59, female gender, obesity, having underlying conditions such as COPD or diabetes, and >2 symptoms one month after the initial infection all increased the risk of having symptoms 1-year post-infection. Although there is no single treatment or cure for Long COVID, Paxlovid, an anti-viral medication authorized for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients, has been shown to reduce the incidence of Long COVID by 25% when given to COVID-positive patients who qualified for antiviral treatment.
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