"Count them up": The mounting signs you could end up with long Covid
People who suffer from more than one symptom from Covid for a prolonged period of time are likely to end up with a debilitating condition.
Dr Anthony Byrne from St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney said the more symptoms one experiences due to Covid will see them more susceptible to long Covid.
According to NSW Health, long Covid refers to prolonged symptoms or lasting effects of a Covid-19 infection.
Some of the long-term symptoms include extreme tiredness, chest pain, shortness of breath, brain fog, memory loss and changes to taste and smell.
“The more symptoms you show when you have a diagnosis acutely, the more likely you are to go on to have long Covid,'' Dr Byrne told Daily Mail Australia.
“So if you just have the sniffles, that's probably fine, but if you've got a headache, shortness of breath, fever... count them up. If there's more than five, there's an increased risk of long Covid.”
Dr Byrne said we needed to remove the impression that young people are not susceptible to long Covid.
“I saw a high functioning, young individual, he was in a high-flying job, who got Covid in December and he hasn't been able to work since,” he said.
Dr Byrne explained that the patient now suffers sleep issues, crippling fatigue and his brain “doesn’t function properly” which is why he couldn’t go back.
There are different factors such as vaccination status, health conditions and old age, that could contribute to how someone experiences Covid and long Covid.
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