According to a study published by Santé Publique France in July 2022, 30% of people who had an infection with SARS-CoV-2 had a post-Covid-19 condition more than three months following contamination. Some patients, like Matthieu Lestage, president of the association “#ApresJ20 – Association Covid Long France“, have been struggling for very long months, even years, once morest this complication called Covid long.
Long Covid: symptoms that persist following infection
Like Covid-19, long Covid is so recent that its mechanisms and evolution are not fully identified. However, health professionals have identified several symptoms of this protean syndrome.
The most frequently cited by patients are intense fatigue, post-effort discomfort and cognitive problems (concentration, memory, lack of words). Smell and taste disturbances, hair loss and joint pain are also common. Numerous studies have also highlighted repercussions on the respiratory system such as shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing. Heart palpitations can also be signs of a long covid.
But the list does not end there. This complication of a coronavirus infection seems to affect many organs. Healthcare professionals also noted:
- sensory disturbances: ringing in the ears, dizziness;
- headaches ;
- sweats;
- musculotendinous pain;
- abnormal sensations such as burning or tingling;
- digestive disorders: abdominal pain, diarrhea;
- skin manifestations: pruritus, urticaria;
- sleep disturbances;
- mood disorders: irritability, anxiety, depression.
Covid long: “I just have to move 2 km and my legs no longer carry me”
Matthieu Lestage presents several of these symptoms more than two years following his infection with SARS-CoV-2. Interviewed by Dr Jean-Paul Marre on the show Crossed lookshe said: “I still have cerebral hypometabolism (masses that create neurological problems, editor’s note), my nervous system is still affected, which leads to poor management of effort, tremors, loss of consciousness, concentration problems and coordination that prevent me from driving”.
The former soldier also has difficulty walking: “I can’t run anymore. I just have to move 2 km and my legs can’t carry me anymore. I have to be in a wheelchair”he added. “There is not just one thing that handicaps me. It is this disease in general that handicaps me on a daily basis”laments Matthieu Lestage.
