Clinical Symptoms of Long COVID

What to know

  • Primary care providers can manage Long COVID using patient-centered approaches.
  • Healthcare providers can help patients with Long COVID by validating their symptoms and connecting them to additional care, services, and supports, as appropriate.
Woman talking with doctor.

Signs and symptoms

A wide range of symptoms and clinical findings can occur in people with varying degrees of illness from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These effects can overlap with multiorgan complications, or with effects of treatment or hospitalization and can persist after the acute COVID-19 illness has resolved. 12

While more than 200 Long COVID symptoms have been identified, 34 commonly reported symptoms include:

  • Bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Light headedness or fast heart rate
  • Memory change
  • Persistent fatigue
  • Problems with smell
  • Problems with taste
  • Recurring headaches
  • Shortness of breath or persistent cough
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Some patients may feel embarrassed about their symptoms, have experienced stigma or experienced difficulty in being believed. It is important for healthcare providers to:
  • Not dismiss symptoms that are difficult to explain.
  • Practice empathy in conversations with patients.

Encourage patients to report any new or changing symptoms or any changes in activities or routines.

Resources

Disclaimer

These sites may include useful links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations and individuals' blogs. CDC provides these links and pointers solely for our users' information and convenience. CDC does not endorse any specific support group or organization below.

Symptom inventory and condition assessment:

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Content Source:
  1. Davis, H.E., McCorkell, L., Vogel, J.M. et al. Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Nat Rev Microbiol 21, 133–146 (2023). doi: 10.1038/s41579-022-00846-2.
  2. Iqbal P, Ata F, Chaudhry H, et al. Post-COVID-19-associated multiorgan complications or "long COVID" with literature review and management strategy discussion: A meta-analysis. Health Sci Rep. 2023 Apr 14;6(4):e1211. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1211.
  3. Perlis RH, Santillana M, Ognyanova K, et al. Prevalence and Correlates of Long COVID Symptoms Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(10):e2238804. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.38804.
  4. Thaweethai T, Jolley SE, Karlson EW, et al. Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. JAMA. 2023;329(22):1934–1946. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.8823.