
Breathing Issues after COVID-19Ī bad case of COVID-19 can produce scarring and other permanent problems in the lungs, but even mild infections can cause persistent shortness of breath - getting winded easily after even light exertion. Research is ongoing about how long COVID affects people who had breakthrough COVID, but it is likely that being vaccinated reduces the risk. While breakthrough infections are possible, being fully vaccinated and boosted is effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death due to COVID. Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 lowers the risks of COVID infection. But it is notable that post-COVID-19 syndrome is not just afflicting people who were very sick with the coronavirus: Some patients who were never severely ill with COVID-19 are experiencing long-term symptoms. Similar, lingering problems can affect patients with other serious illnesses. Some are minor, but other people may need continuing care and even readmission to the hospital. Mental health problems can arise from grief and loss, unresolved pain or fatigue, or from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU).ĭoctors are seeing a spectrum of symptoms after acute COVID-19, some of which would be expected after other critical illnesses. SARS-CoV-2 can attack the body in a range of ways, causing damage to the lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, liver and other organs. What causes symptoms in COVID long haulers?

More studies will shed light on why these stubborn health problems persist in some people. In fact, long COVID can happen in people who have mild symptoms, although patients with more severe initial illness seem to be more likely to have long-term impairments. While it’s clear that people with certain risk factors (including high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity and other conditions) are more likely to have a serious bout of COVID-19, there isn’t a clear link between these risk factors and long-term problems.

The symptoms can come and go, but have an impact on the person’s everyday functioning, and cannot be explained by another health problem.

Once a person has heroin use disorder, seeking and using the drug becomes their primary purpose in life.Mild or moderate COVID-19 lasts about two weeks for most people. 19 Heroin is extremely addictive no matter how it is administered, although routes of administration that allow it to reach the brain the fastest (i.e., injection and smoking) increase the risk of developing heroin use disorder. Finally, repeated heroin use often results in heroin use disorder-a chronic relapsing disease that goes beyond physical dependence and is characterized by uncontrollable drug-seeking, no matter the consequences. However, some people have shown persistent withdrawal signs for many months. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24–48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"), and leg movements. Withdrawal may occur within a few hours after the last time the drug is taken. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Tolerance occurs when more and more of the drug is required to achieve the same effects. 16-18 Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence. 14,15 Studies have shown some deterioration of the brain’s white matter due to heroin use, which may affect decision-making abilities, the ability to regulate behavior, and responses to stressful situations.

Repeated heroin use changes the physical structure 13 and physiology of the brain, creating long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems that are not easily reversed.
