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Call for questions: LONG COVID (Patreon)

Published:
2025-02-04 02:29:09
Imported:
2026-06

Content

My next interview is with a critical care pulmonologist who literally wrote the working definition of long COVID. He's a professor and researcher who's conducted federally-funded studies and drug trials related to long COVID and can tell us everything we know (and don't know) about the condition. Leave your questions in the comments.

Deadline: Friday, February 7 at 5pm PST

Comments

SJ Rantzen

What can we do to prevent risk of long COVID if we test positive? How come some people can catch COVID 3+ times and be fine, and others catch COVID once and end up with long COVID?

Kathleen Regovich

What can people do to recover from long COVID? Why do different people get different severities of long COVID?

Liv Tambrini

OKAY so I’ve had COVID thrice, but it was never as bad as the first time. The first time around I lost my taste and smell for NINE MONTHS. Everything repulsed me. Now celery and bell peppers do not taste the same as they did (they were my favorite veggies). How did this happen? Why?

Sheepan

My fiancé wants to know why cherry flavored things still taste bad from getting covid in 2020, but all the other flavors recovered similarly, as someone who had covid that caused my hands to sweat incessantly for THREE MONTHS: why?

Mandii Smith

I think my sense of smell improved after having covid. Is that real or did my brain make it up?

Lizzy Martinez

I have read that developing POTS has been a symptom of long COVID! What can you tell us about that? - from a POTSie since childhood concerned for those getting it within the past 5 years.

Julia Brookover

Between long covid and microplastics, it feels like we're just screwed. Any silver linings to share?

Jennifer Froh

Long Covid causing POTS? Tell us more!

JD

I’m suffering horrendously with GERD/indigestion ever since having covid and I would love to know how common this is or if any research is being done on it. I’ve also had ME/CFS for 20 years and would be interested to hear if the commonalities are being looked at. Edit: I’m probably pushing it here, but I also just remembered my neuralgia has worsened significantly since COVID and am curious whether others are experiencing the same.

Jennifer Froh

Because we messed up SO BAD in the beginning, do you think Covid will ever ever go away now??

Anthony Richards

It seemed like there was such a diverse amount of symptoms of COVID. Some people had flu-like symptoms. Some people lost their sense of taste, other people it didn't seem to affect much at all. I had it, and I personally only experienced fatigue no other symptoms. Why the diversity of reactions?

Priyal

Since we are probably all going to have COVID multiple times, how does the number of COVID infections impact the incidence and severity of long COVID? Do different strains have different incidences of long COVID?

Mandii Smith

After covid I get phantom smoke smells (they've sense stopped but would get them even a year after covid) It would be for days at a time, then stop for a while, then randomly come back. Would covid have caused that, or could it be some other kind of problem I should get checked out?

The Farming Linguist

Are there other viruses that have long versions, and if so, is there any knowledge of those that can be/is used in treating long COVID?

Stephen Woo

Long COVID and ME/CFS? What's the mechanism there? What other viruses might be a trigger? Why does low dose naltrexone help?

Jennifer Froh

Is there any/still long covid research? Who is funding it?

Silent H

What are probable causes of the extreme fatigue? Friend has had long covid since September and can't do more than lay on the couch during fatigue phases. They are working with their physiotherapist (and doctor) to assess and rebuild, but triggers seem varied (mental and physical) and the fatigue is unpredictable. Thanks!

Nicky G

Why is long covid a thing and long influenza isn't something that we acknowledge? I'm really curious how the incidence of vascular events like strokes, deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, and pulmonary embolisms in younger patient populations with limited other risk factors.

rick blake

My sense of smell has dramatically changes since I got covid (I am far more sensitive to smells than I used too be. To the point of having difficulty breathing and / or vomiting from certain smells) is this a long covid symptom?

Rach

How much of long covid is POTS, how much is pots adjacent, and how much is unrelated? Does POTS post covid present slightly differently from classical POTS? (First time question asker and recent pots diagnosee, and my GP said all long covid is POTS)

ValBeListening

I've gotten COVID 3-4 times. Does getting long COVID depend on the severity of the illness or how often you've caught it? How do you even know if you have/had long COVID?

Jennifer Froh

How many people are still masking? It sometimes feels like no one. How can I balance masking but still LIVING LIFE in a country that hates disabled people.

Creme de la cremily

What is the current state of insurance coverage and disability determinations for long COVID? Where are they headed in the near future?

Kerry Constantino

Is the risk of developing long covid changing over time? Is it more likely to have a new covid infection turn into long covid now, or was it more likely to have long covid when it was first started? Or is it something else entirely?

Anna Fern

I have Long Covid. It mimicked my previous head injury (though amplified) in a scarily specific way. Is my brain double damaged??

Alyssa Berg

Any more research on whether Paxlovid helps prevent Long COVID? I’ve seen mixed answers. I’ve opted for it twice of the three times I’ve had COVID (it wasn’t available the first time) since I had access and figured it couldn’t hurt. Was that a good choice?

Rachel Guthrie

Is long COVID due to the person’s body not being able to defeat the virus and it just stays in their body for a long time or does the virus just cause so much damage to the person that the effects are long lasting after the virus is defeated?

Fiona Rogge

FTQA! Is it possible Long Covid is too general a term due to the huge variation of symptoms and experiences- are there yet categories within LC when conducting research that are more specific?

Suzanne Willett

Has rapid weight gain been observed as an effect? Had a fairly serious bout of Covid in 2021. I then gained over 40 pounds in two years without any lifestyle or other health changes.

Sarah Piette

Is it true that AFAB individuals are at an increased risk for long COVID and, if so, why?

Stacy Grissom

My mom and I often get very painful, super sensitive and burning skin when we get a virus. It will feel bruised, hurt to even have soft clothing touch it, or feel like it is on fire. After her last bout of Covid almost a year ago now, her skin has still not stopped hurting. It’s constant and she is so miserable. When she gets a chill or shiver, she says it’s like a billion knives shoot through her skin. Clothes, bed sheets, water in the shower, every little thing causes her pain. Have you heard of this and is there anything she can do to make it stop?

Anna Fern

Would also love to hear about the similarities to ME/CFS. I have developed symptoms akin to it with Long Covid, though alot of doctors are hesitant to diagnose either/both together.

Liv Colombotos

What is the link between autoimmune disorders and long covid? Are most people who develop them predisposed to autoimmune conditions pre infection? I developed POTS after getting COVID before vaccines were available and am still struggling with it.

Megan Lynch

What is the study of COVID sequellae revealing about other viral diseases that didn't become pandemics, but did disable many folks with what may now be recognized as post-viral sequellae?

Lauren Miller

Is wheezing a long COVID symptom? What are the other symptoms or conditions that could develop from long COVID?

Taylor Clinton

My mom (a healthcare worker) has some questions cuz she sees a lot of patients with long COVID: 1) Are there specific diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of long COVID or is it a diagnosis of exclusion? 2) What evidence is there currently for therapeutic use of Modafinil/Provigil for long COVID? 3) Is there a correlation between people who have had a prior diagnosis of Lyme or Epstein-Barre and those who experience long COVID?

Federico Andrade Rivas

First question asker!: I would like to receive recommendations on how to better communicate long covid issues with healthcare providers. Any hints on what language to use to avoid gaslighting? =)

Jennifer Froh

After having awfulll POTS for 8 years I can send my love and support and suggest So Much Salt and So So Much Water, compression socks and biker shorts, and Thigh squeezes before standing. Also that if it would help to sit while doing laundry/dishes/showering, DO IT don't worry about the "normal" way to do stuff. Sending hugs and a "next stairway wont hurt you" blessing.

Kate Timms

I was diagnosed with long covid over a year ago. One of my major features is tones of sudden food intolerances that seem to relate to foods which result in a net increase in histamine. What is known about the connection between long covid and histamine, and are there any possible treatments?

Carrie Leigh

Can you talk about the broad tissue damage that happens? I developed POTS after COVID last summer and now I can't stand up longer than 5 minutes. :(

Whereisapark

What can we do to improve outcomes if we do catch COVID? Like things we should do before getting COVID? While we have COVID? Things we should do to improve outcomes during Long COVID? First time question asker :)

Samwise

I had covid in early January with premature ventricular contractions for 3 days. Then it stopped, 3 weeks later they started again. I am healthy with a healthy heart. Are PVC’s part of long covid? Are they permanent? Is there anything I and others like myself can do?

Carrie Leigh

I also asked about POTS! It's the worst. COVID gave me POTS after my very first COVID infection last summer.

Sylvia Scharf

Long Covidian here. Any pointers on finding doctors outside of long covid clinics? I'm still waiting to be seen by the clinic, but I need to find a PCP who is long covid literate. How do I find a useful doctor?

Ettegoom

I work at a medical centre, and I'm hearing and seeing a lot of patients in recent years with POTS as a new diagnosis - is this a post-covid thing, or is there something else going on with this?

Rachel Guthrie

Could any symptoms of long COVID be induced or intensified by the stress or mental toll of just getting COVID and the societal impacts of the pandemic? Anytime I suspected that I had COVID or did, I was mostly stressed and panicking about having to be isolated.

Kevin Wilson

I am currently a patient at the Emory Long Covid clinic trying to figure out what has been going on, specifically the past nearly 2 years. My dr thinks I’ve developed POTS and that my ADHD/Dyslexia has been exacerbated, and that I may have developed a form of Aphasia. Trying not to give my whole story, but gah, it’s so frustrating. I just wanted to say thank you to EVERYONE who is studying this thing, the frustration is still there, but it feels so comforting knowing some doctors are reassuring me what I’m going through is real and not (and to quote one of my first drs) just in my head and my anxiety. 🧡🧡🧡

Jennifer Froh

Why does covid effect people so differently and why do some people get long covid and some seemingly dont

Yuri

Aaaaahhhhhh!!!! Yes! I have Mecfs, and they think long covid is a type of that. Is your first working with Ron Davis at Stanford at all? Why is the funding so terrible? Why can't people get on disability for this horribly disabling disease? How on earth can one disease affect SO MANY body systems, from red blood cells not being able to fold properly to get in the smaller capillaries and micro blood clotting, to mitochondria function, to vagus nerve? How does it trigger daur, similar to a hibernation response? How close are they to a biomarker to have a test for it? What are the challenges to clinical diagnosis, and what can patients do to better understand that process? Has he seen good results with the Visible app, that uses heart rate, resting heart rate and heart rate variability to help patients not over do it and build up an energy envelope? It's so great that so many places are now turning away from that bloody PACE trial, and stopping the very dangerous recommendation of Graded Exercise Therapy and CBT, which actually makes us WORSE. Any recommendations on how to respond to people who just say exercise more since it's so dangerous to us? Are there other illnesses that can actually be made worse with exercise (except maybe untreated asthma?)? WHY do so many people say but you don't look sick, and default to disbelief, disrespect and assuming is a psychological /moral flaw and the patient is to blame? I have so many more but I'll stop. Thank you for doing this!!!!!! Yuri (Beauty without the b)

GhoulNextDoor

If someone has had Long COVID for over a year is there much hope of the symptoms ever going away? Or is it potentially a life long condition?

GhoulNextDoor

Are there any other illnesses that have potentially long lasting effects similar to Covid?

Alex Minor

I have a question regarding long COVID and its potential effects on young children. Does the number of infections, the age at which a child contracts COVID, their developmental stage, or the specific strains they are exposed to impact their risk of developing long COVID? Additionally, could repeated infections during early childhood have any lasting effects on development or overall health?

M. Cerys Jenks

Where's the line between "true" Long COVID and underlying disautonomia (POTS, etc) getting "woken up"/flaring because COVID is a gnarly systemic virus? Like, does disautonomia involvement muddy the waters when it comes to researching Long COVID, or is it just considered part of the package?

GhoulNextDoor

If someone contracts Covid after getting the vaccine are chances of developing Long Covid lessened?

Clayton Cromley

Any clinical trials that might address nocturnal hypoxemia? I've had it since COVID three years ago. Local pulmonologist apparently only treats apnea which he agrees I don't have.

Chrysalis Ashton

Very excited for this one as a respiratory therapist! Is there a difference in long covid cases in people who were vaccinated (at any point) but still got covid and those who were not vaccinated and contracted it?

Jennifer Froh

Ive had pots about 8 years now but when my mom was sick with the Vid (I probbaly was too but tested negative over and over and over) my pots symptoms got WAAAYYY worse for about 6 months. It was crazy

Adam Foote

How can I help? I don't know if I can do like a monetary contribution but I have a Master's degree in Biology and I can weild a mean pipette!

Annalise De Young

I'm also curious if long COVID research has shed any light on ME/CFS/post-viral syndromes/other unexplained chronic illness? Or maybe if there has been cross over research? Is being AFAB a risk factor? I know a lot of folks with various complex post-viral things, and all of them have ovaries. How do doctors determine if you have Long COVID vs other similar post-viral (or anomalous) things?

Ettegoom

I've at least 2 friends who have developed it since they had COVID, and they're not sure whether it's because of COVID, or something else, so I'm super interested in this - also how debilitating is it? is it a spectrum where some people get worse symptoms than others? It seems like there's a giant surge of people with it recently and it seems to destroy some people, whereas other people have it but are ok? I'm so curious about it.

Kevin Wilson

Not to chime in, but I mask so much. It got to the point of extreme pain that lead me (eventually) to the long covid clinic.

Adam Foote

By which I mean what opportunities are there to contribute to this research from the comfort of my own home?

Laurel

When I had covid summer 2021 I felt like I was missing puzzle pieces with my thoughts and memories and it slowly came back but I still feel like my brain doesn't work as well as it did pre-covid. What is that about?

Elongated Muskrat

Any tips for professionals in general whose careers are made political and receive push back for important work/ideas, like COVID research? Have you seen an increase in doubt from your patients?

Anna Fern

Long time listener, first time question asker. I had to come out for this one, thank you so much for breaching this topic!! The awareness is much needed. Long Covid wrecked my body and derailed my life, along with so many others. But it is still rarely spoken about, and many of us feel left behind. What are some support systems us LC sufferers can seek? And what can the general public do to integrate this truth into our society?

Ettegoom

I've heard that it's something to do with inflammation? But I would be really interested to know what causes it, when things like Flu don't seem to have these long term effects... or does it, and we just don't hear about it as much?

ilaanya

Why does cola taste like perfume to some people after losing and then (mostly) regaining your taste/smell even months later? Is that a symptom of long covid that could be part of a larger issue?

Lizzy Martinez

Oh my goodness yes, I also experienced worsening symptoms having COVID. But I had a few medication changes at the same time that I'm still trying to figure out what ultimately did it (probably the vid honestly).

Yuri

Oh yes! I need to look into those clinical trials they were doing for low-dose naltrexone and I think Pyrostigmine bromide

Cierra

Have any variants been more likely to lead to cases of Long COVID than others?

Cassidy Weber

Will be there epigenetic effects of long covid? Are we gonna see acquired illnesses from covid being passed down to later generations?

Waylo

So, since I first contracted COVID several years ago, my body has had an odd odor that resembles maple syrup. It is the only symptom that I have. It isn’t really a problem, but some people have noticed, and I guess it could be worse. Is that considered long-term COVID and is anyone studying it? Also, I have a low white blood cell count which I understand could be a contributing factor. What do we know about the relationship between white blood cell counts and COVID?

Marissa Jacobsen

Is brain fog actually brain damage? Am I stupider now?

Marvin McCreary

Long Covid appears to be a multimodal disease (acting on various system on the macro and microscopic scale). Why are all (most?) of the research projects only using mono therapy rather than a cocktail to address the various aspects of the disease.

winn

Is it true that each time you get covid you’re more and more likely to get long covid?

Catherine BH

Oh yay!! I have long covid, I'm so glad you're doing this episode. My questions are related to my own experience with LC. Is there a connection between mono/EBV and long covid? Is there any evidence long covid triggers other conditions/disorders to be worse? And (kind of joking) why oh why is it so hard to find a steroid inhaler?! Every time I need a refill, it's a fight to get it- and my insurance doesn't cover it anyway, so it's a fight plus $300.

Jennifer Froh

Oh god im sorry. :( how do you deal with the new weird proposed mask laws? And how society shuns masked people for SOME reason? Its so frustrating!

winn

If you test positive, what can you do to prevent long covid?

Jennifer Froh

Literally feel this way too. I want to know.

Charlotte Parkinson

When I had COVID, I lost my taste and smell. My taste completely came back but I still massive struggle with smell. Is there any knowledge as to why it impacts one over both? I know a number of people who lost both senses and still struggle with just one.

Chayva Lehrman

First time question asker Chayva (ch like champion, ay like play): I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that long COVID, ME/CFS, and fibromyalgia symptoms get worse at certain points in the menstrual cycle. What research is being done in this area? What treatments are currently available and what are the implications for pregnancy and menopause?

Sarah Jo

All the latest stats please!! They’re getting so much harder to access.

Penny Loader

My uncle asks - ever since he had COVID a couple years ago, he can't smell his own farts but can smell his own poos - is this due to a rewiring or damage to nasal nerves or something else?

Samm

Ever since I had Covid in 2022 my sinuses are super sensitive to cold. Sometimes I have to wear a mask even if I’m alone in my house just because the air around me is too cold (at room temperature). What’s the deal?

BookishShelly

Are antihistamines like loratadine truly helpful with Long Covid (either preventing or treating it)? I read a study that antihistamines would treat (if I understood correctly) histamine build up caused inflammation that can lead to Long Covid. First time question asker.

Sarah Kiervin

Long time listener, first time asker! Is sudden hearing loss a symptom of long covid? New covid??

Quinn

What’s the research on long covid and other chronic illnesses like arthritis, I’ve heard whispers here and there but is there anything new about that potential linkage?

Aaron Hatton

How common is it to have brain fog following COVID and can this last for an extended period of time?

Sarah Jo

Any tips on how to keep track of local COVID levels for those of us who are still trying to avoid COVID/long COVID? I used Georgia’s county-level wastewater data to gauge when it was safer for me to see friends without a mask, go to crowded indoor spaces (masked), etc., but those data aren’t being updated anymore.

Quinn

Can long covid impact something like literacy or comprehension skills? What parts of the brain could be impacted by brain fog or other long covid symptoms?

Doxx

Why don’t I taste things as strongly as I used to? As a foodie this is really distressing. Also what are the consequences on autoimmune disorders? My mother caught Covid then had a lupus flare up for the first time in years and got boils all over her leg. She ended up dying from sepsis in the hospital.

Nicole S

First time asker - I’m a doctor who cares for a lot of kids. Would love to hear about the best evidence on long COVID and kids. A lot of parents perceive that COVID isn’t a risk to their kids.

Nick Lange

Given that long covid manifests as a variety of sub-types, doesn’t it seem necessary for clinical trials to group/compare by subtype? If a study just uses one general long covid group versus control groups then it seems like the results will be muddied across sub types within the long covid group, leading us to miss potentially significant results for particular sub-types. What do you think of this? And is there a move towards trials respecting sub-types? I’m 4 years into my long Covid journey and recovery. Thank you for your work and doing this podcast!

Lizzy

Any correlation between long COVID and neurological disorders? (Also, if I don’t know that I’ve had COVID but my sense of smell disappears randomly and hasn’t come back, does that mean I had COVID at some point and am now experiencing long COVID, or am I just screwed?)

Charlie Wong

What are some things we can do to support a friend who is dealing with long COVID? My friend has been dealing with it for 2.5 years now

Sarah Jo

Are there any projections of future long COVID rates and the impacts it could have on society? It doesn’t seem…good.

Shannon Dermody

My sister in law ended up having heart complications from covid. I’m curious if researchers know yet how these complications occur in the heart. Thank you!

Ari Fox

Ever since I was infected with Covid, I’ve experienced cyclical illness that usually lines up with menstruation. Is this explainable by LC??

Meaghan Ratcliffe

what makes you more or less likely to end up w long covid? it sounds really scary but i’ve never heard of someone personally dealing w long-term symptoms, so i wonder if there are underlying conditions that make you more susceptible

Erin White

I keep hearing that as a disease that long COVID is somehow similar to AIDS. Flim-flam, fact, or just poorly explained?

Liv Lundh

Is it possible to get long COVID after you've had it multiple times without long COVID symptoms?

Melissa Berger

1. What is the physical connection between Covid/long Covid and neurological and dysautonomic symptoms? 2. Any answers yet on how long it takes dysautonomic symptoms in particular to improve/resolve? 3. Do long Covid symptoms compound with each following Covid infection, and can other infections such as flu worsen or prolong long Covid?

Sam Danielle

Are there other viral illnesses that have a 'long' version?

Amanda

Can there be long [insert other viruses here]?

Cindy Marcum

The first time I got COVID, it really kicked my ass! The second and third were not so bad. But I feel like I am just chronically tired since the last round. How do you know if it’s Long Covid or just old age and stress?

James Jakes

Can you get Long COVID if your vaccinated? What is the likelihood?

Rob H.

Is there anything people can do (lifestyle, supplements, meds, etc) to counteract the inflammation with long covid?

mish the fish

can you get long covid from asymptomatic covid?

Wandering Wyatt

Any commonalities around who gets long COVID? Sex at birth, age, type of symptoms etc?

Greg Walloch

What is the difference between Long COVID and a symptom that simply never resolved after COVID like back pain?

Rob

My wife has Long Covid and we would like to know if our current system is ready for more people with disabilities due to long COVID? Like Social Security disability benefits, the job market, health insurance, etc...

Benevolent-ish

After avoiding covid through the official pandemic I caught it last October. Now almost 4 months later there is still a mental fog going on. What the hell is that and how much longer will it last?

Amber Pineda

How and why is long covid affecting memory and the why it’s harder to remember things after long COVID

James Morehead

The story of YouTuber Dianna Cowern is so important to include in this episode.

Elongated Muskrat

What other illnesses have a similar elongated recovery diagnoses?

Elongated Muskrat

As a sensory diverse person, is long covid a concern for people who already struggle with food intake? Are people with healthy appetites finding it harder to take in food with their changing senses and how is this combated??

Matt Hirschl

Why TF does my taste still suck???

Pink Puppy

I know my quality of life has tanked with long COVID complicated by postural orthostatic tachycardia but will it actually kill me? Feels like dealer's choice: - can't smell dangers like smoke - elevated heart rate, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease - social isolation as I am unable to engage in activities I once loved, and my friends don't get it - fainting/falls - reduced exercise tolerance - emotional lability - persistent brain fog (I can't imagine much more severe it would be without my ADHD medication and coping mechanisms) - poverty because living wth chronic illness is expensive. I now get everything going around and it takes forever to recover. I have to work less but medication, medical appointments, compression clothing, cooling etc. really add up.

Shayla Payne

If you already have long Covid and then get Covid again, how will this impact your previous case of long Covid going forward?

Valerie Kirby

How has long COVID evolved understanding of other viral-caused autoimmune diseases?

Lily

Where are the research teams based that are studying long covid? Like is it an international effort, are there particular labs or drs / scientists at the forefront?

Sarah Summer

I am also interested in the relationship between COVID and autonomic nervous system issues. I believe that (long) COVID precipitated my preexisting hypermobility into symptomatic hypermobility/dysautonomia/POTS.

Lily

What questions is the study of long covid bringing up that could help researchers take new approaches to future illnesses or to go back and examine how other illnesses have affected/affect human health?

Ashley Chance

Long time listener, first time commenter. I have a 6 year old child that tested positive for COVID then routinely was at home sick every to every other week for a couple days at a time but he didn't test positive for COVID with an at home kit during that time. Is it possible that it's long COVID and just not showing positive on at home tests? Is there a "special test" that tests for COVID differently than long COVID?

Sylvia

Will the cognitive decline I’ve experienced ever improve? Also, I just read something about even a mild case of COVID increasing risk for Alzheimer’s. As someone in their late 30’s with a genetic marker for early onset Alzheimer’s, is this really something I should be worried about? And is there anything I can do?

Sarah Jo

Also, thank you Alie for broaching this topic at all! It’s hard to get people to not immediately turn their brains off when they hear “COVID”, and I think this episode will be immensely impactful!

Katrina Fisher

My sense of smell has been obliterated by Covid since 3/2021. Are there avenues/treatments for restoring it? Also, cognitive impairment has been a struggle. It’s almost like my brain “hiccups” around words or tasks that used to come very easily to me. Is there a way to restore fluidity of thought?

Meg Ahern

OMG! So many questions! I recently read that women are more than 3 times more likely to get long Covid, and was surprised because I'd never heard anyone mention that. What's the deal with this gendered effect -- and with the silence around it? Also, what's the deal with the really severe stuff that can happen to some folks (like POTS or ME/CFS)? Any clues as to who's more susceptible to this kind of thing? (I've been N95ing like a fiend all this time because I'm concerned I'd be susceptible.) Finally: I've read that some experts think of Covid less as a respiratory illness primarily than as a disease that can damage multiple organ systems (but that generally manifests with an initial respiratory illness, like certain other multi-organ viruses). What does the ologist think about this?

Meg Ahern

That sounds so hard -- I'm really sorry!!

Meg Ahern

Oh my god, I am sooo sorry!!!

Kat Gaines

How would I tell if health issues I've had since getting covid for the first time are long covid or some that would have happened to me anyway? Would linking them to long covid realistically do anything to help my doctors with care plans?

Valerie Bertha

After catching covid my daughter has been dealing with chronic fatigue for a long time (years). Will the chronic fatigue ever decrease or go away? Any insight on why this symptom manifested? Are there certain criteria that causes a person to be more susceptible to specific symptoms? Is there any new treatments or studies or strategies out there?

Björn Fredberg

Are there any indications (DNA or otherwise) if you are more susceptible to long covid?

Kim

First time asker! Are there any other conditions that leave you more susceptible to long COVID? eg. ADHD, endometriosis, neuralgia etc

Björn Fredberg

Do similar symptoms occur for other virus borne diseases?

Björn Fredberg

We are through (this) pandemic, but are there still people getting long covid from covid-19? Have you found anything with covid-19 specifically making it better at giving these kinds of symptoms?

Björn Fredberg

What are the chances of making a full recovery from long covid? Are there any known cases?

Kendall

thank you so much for covering this and to the ologist for working on it!! i’m wondering what the ologist sees as the most hopeful points in what he’s learned about treating LC so far? Does he see a path to long term remission for most people with it, or to an actual end to the ongoing pandemic, or more awareness and social acknowledgment of it at least? also - does he have recommendations for how people can find good LC-aware doctors or LC clinics in their area? (I was referred to my city’s “long covid clinic” but it was just a regular cardiologist who was confused why I wore a mask to a hospital and said my obviously LC symptoms sounded like anxiety)

Dr. Lina Carpenter

I know that Long COVID has a lot of variation in symptoms and severity - do we know why or how Long COVID accomplishes that? Are there thresholds for what qualifies as Long COVID, and/or do we have ways to determine if a symptom is caused specifically by Long COVID? Is that ambiguity why some folks argue "there's no such thing as Long COVID?" I find that line massively frustrating as someone who had otherwise unexplainable symptoms after COVID - it feels like the patients are being gaslit. :(

Addison

first time asker here! what is the link / is there a link between the covid virus and then the cropping up of other autoimmune or nervous system issues? i have ehlers danlos syndrome and while its genetic and i've technically had it my whole life, i only started experiencing real symptoms and comorbities (like POTS and MCAS like issues) after getting covid! i'm not sure i would consider any of this long covid technically but boy is it long (aka permanent) and seemingly covid related

Kendall

this is probably completely irrelevant but once i saw a tiktok where the girl’s cat started smelling like maple syrup and it turned out that meant he had diabetes. can other people smell the maple syrup or just you?

Addison

hi i had this exact question because i have hypermobile ehlers danlos syndrome that wasnt super symptomatic until after i got covid and that is also where a lot of comorbid conditions (like POTS, MCAS, GI issues) started popping up. while EDS is genetic, im wondering what the link might be between all of this. i got mono and then covid within the same semester of college and it was actually the worst time of my life

Yuri

Is looking at fingernail beds under a microscope to see reduced capillary activity consistent enough to be diagnostic?

Pink Puppy

Sorry, I'm having a grumpy day partly because it's 102 degrees. Mostly there are new strategies like - lying down with raised legs and having reading materials stuck to the underside of my desk (because holding my arms up is too much effort) - finally accepting that I don't have the energy or taste and smell to be an ingredient household and am now a snacks households

Esther Haydock

Since getting covid and have had reduced kidney function - could this have caused my long covid symptoms and what is the link between the two? Thank you for covering this.

Alyssa Benson

I'm sure this will get buried, but I've had covid twice. After recovering the first time, a couple weeks later, I started experiencing symptoms of vestibular migraine (though I didn't know that until I was later diagnosed). A couple weeks after recovering from the second bout (July of 2024), I suddenly had sleep issues of not being able to stay asleep more than 5-6 hours a night. Are these long covid? Should I even mention that I had covid before these issues started to my doctors since so much is unknown about it?

Moth

FTQA - How long after initial symptoms appear would it count as LC? And what can we do to recover from or manage fatigue post covid infection? Currently struggling with a lot of fatigue after previously having a very active lifestyle

Morre

How likely do you think it is that we‘ll have a reliable treatment for LC in the next 5 years?

RoadLesTravelled

Is COVID moving toward other diseases that appear to be seasonal? Do other seasonal diseases develop long-term effects?

Shante

How common is long Covid? If I've had Covid before and didn't get long Covid, am I more or less likely to get long Covid if I get Covid again?

Silvia Triverio

How is it diagnosed? What are the symptoms? How debilitating is it?

Miriam

ME/CFS: What is the research doing for all those people out there suffering from ME/CFS as a consequence of a covid Infection? Also, what are the numbers on it caused by covid infection opposed to caused by covid vaccination?

Caro Young

What’s the etiology for long COVID, do we know what causes it?

Caro Young

Is there anything that makes one more susceptible to long COVID? Is there anything that can be done to prevent, is there any data for example on vaccines or antivirals and long COVID prevention?

Caro Young

How big of a social problem has this become? I would imagine there is a lot more burden on the health system and also people unable to work and earn an income

Caro Young

Is long COVID similar to normal post viral fatigue that one can get after a severe viral illness? A friend of mine had this long before the pandemic, however he thought he had MERS so maybe it’s coronavirus specific?

Caro Young

Do we have good treatment modalities for long COVID these days?

WildflowersNWhiskey

Whyyyyyyyyy. Why why whyyyyyy did basically every system in my body go haywire, and why did my body decide somewhere along the healing process that, "nah, this is good enough, I'm done here. You're good tho, right?" 😅😭😴 Is my immune system just as fatigued as I am? Genuine question, though: how much merit is there to the comparison with HIV/AIDS? Are they truly that similar, and what does that tell us about SARS-CoV-2 itself (if anything)? (First time question asker 😅)

Sarah Chaney

How does a respiratory virus cause long-term neurological symptoms like tinnitus, vertigo, brain fog? What is happening when a virus causes these and other neurological symptoms - is it infecting your brain or some secondary effect that causes permanent damage?

Maja Lecher

Yes yes yes yes, thank you Alie for using your platform for this massively important and overlooked topic! Question: could you weigh in about the ongoing discussion about potential immune suppression caused by Covid? The overall immune dysregulation leading to e.g. a rise in autoimmune diseases and reactivation of latent viruses appears to be clear, but there are a lot of experts with differing opinions about whether it can **actively cause longer-term immune suppression and lead to a rise in opportunistic infections, difficulty clearing infections etc.** It's getting hard to separate the noise from the state of the science at this point.

Lionessfeather

How similar is long Covid to ME/CFS? Can knowledge about the one help with treating the other?

Naomi Jane

+1 for this question! And adding taste into the mix - both my senses were strong before, now they're just passable (and disappear on a regular basis for no reason!).

Rebecca Jackson

I want to know what a “day in the life” of someone in their first year should (generally) look like. What foods, medications, work hours, sleep hours etc should be aimed for? Also, even if anecdotally, is there evidence that people who experience brain fog for months ever recover their initial intelligence? I’ve read that people with long COVID lose gray matter (shrinkage), but can this be reversed? Those are my two main questions, if they’re appropriate to ask I’d be incredibly grateful to hear the answers.

Georgia Claire

First time questioner. There's decent evidence now that covid can affect the menstrual cycle in unpleasant ways. However this is rarely listed as a symptom of long covid and GPs etc do not seem to be aware of the link. Are there any studies into why this happens, or how to treat it, and is there really any chance anyone's going to look into it when it only affects people AFAB? Signed, an iron deficient and very tired ologite.

Emma

This is a bit of a weird one, but i got covid early on in the pandemic and almost completely lost my sense of smell. About a year/year and half later i got covid again and my sense of smell came back completely... whats that about? (Huge fan and long time listener, who started their job in pest control with no sense of smell and longs for those days again 😂 your show is inspiring and you make my long days driving from job to job enjoyable!)

Jenni Moore Myers

First time question asker! I hear about long long covid sufferers having a veritable smorgasbord of symptoms, often severe and debilitating. Can some of us with long covid "just" have fatigue and respiratory degradation, or is that likely to be something different? (Thank you for tackling this and for bringing us so many amazing science stories!!)

Elias

First time question asker! What's the prevalence of LC, and how do experts go about weighing the amount of risk/suffering of long covid vs. Advising public protective measures against covid (that no longer seem to exist, at least here in UK)?

Katrina Renee

Is there any valid research on how to combat the extended fatigue and brain fog? googling produces so many random things, but nothing cites their sources so it’s hard to know if any of it is true. but i’d love to not need midday naps anymore. also, how common is it for covid to “activate” other dormant issues in people? like auto immune problems and stuff like that - or is that essentially what long covid is? is there a way to test for long covid? is there “right” questions to ask to get effective support from doctors?

CassTheDogNerd

Is there difficulty for sufferers in getting properly diagnosed with long COVID? Are there common misdiagnoses that happen? What percentage of long COVID cases are actually correctly diagnosed?

Britt Kline

Is there any way to predict who will get Long Covid? Also, CDC data sets about this have been removed from the internet (who knows for how long)…What do specialists suggest regarding care, Tx, etc? And how can we best avoid ending up with long covid, when perhaps the only masked person in a store or room is oneself…?

Alexis Culley

What’s up with hair loss? Why did COVID cause some people to lose hair that will not grow back?

Amanda Lask

Are there worries about what long COVID means for fertility health? I've heard that some males have experienced a drop in sperm counts, is there anything happening to females and is there anything to worry about?

Waylo

That is an interesting thought. However, I don’t have any of the classic symptoms of type II diabetes and my blood work is watched closely as I only have one kidney. And wouldn’t it be ironic as my late wife was a type I diabetic and I had given her a kidney? But something to follow up on.

Eleanor Chandler

First time question asker! Does our environment have any kind of impact on recovery from COVID/ long COVID? I had covid last year and was only sick for about 3 days but my cough lingered for months until I went camping for the weekend and after the first night in the fresh air my cough had went away entirely. Was it because I was breathing finally breathing fresh air or was there possibly something else at play?

Lauren Cooper

WHAT IS IT? What is happening to your body when you get it?

Lauren Cooper

Are we worried about what the long term health effects are of COVID/Long COVID?

Jeremy

1. The statistics I've seen about getting long covid are mostly from the early days of the pandemic. If you're up to date on covid shots, what's the chance of contracting long covid from today's variants? 2. Does the chance of long covid go up with the number of times you get covid? Or is it just a correlation because if you're more susceptible to covid then you're more susceptible to long covid too? 3. I'm still masking in indoor public places purely out of concern about long covid. Is this still a reasonable precaution, or am I being overly concerned?

Ann McHenry

Is there any truth to the theory that Covid resets your immune system like measles or is that flimflam? Is there a difference between long covid and just getting sick over and over?

Julie Dupre

Are elevated ANA titers are a marker of long covid?

Matt Ceccato

What does Long COVID attach to in our bodies? Does it target the respiratory system or the immune system?

Lacey Abbott

first time question asker! has a commonality been found between people who developed long covid, such as a genetic marker?

Brain 🧠 Shenanigans

My question also! Do any experts have any idea what mechanisms are at play to affect the brain in such a significant way? Are there any sort of similarities in brain scans between long covid brain fog and say Alzheimer’s, dementia, amnesia, etc? If I remember correctly, COVID did affect the cardiovascular system, could that be a potential link? Have there been comparisons done between unaffected brain tissue and long term COVID tissues? Sorry for so many questions, it’s just such a curious symptom/side effect!

Meagan Walker

Are there any other coronaviruses that leave long-lasting symptoms?

Julia Turlington

What does it mean if you test positive on home tests for several months after having Covid, but test negative on a PCR test? (Everyone else in the household tests negative on the same rapid tests.) Is this viral persistence or false positives? If the former, what is it doing in your body, and how do you get rid of it?

Doxx

Thank you. But it’s all good. It’s been 3 years and she’s in a better place.

Leaf and Paw

I swear I have had memory loss after having long covid in 2022. Is there any science to prove that I'm not just going senile at 35?

Sarah A.

My first question ever! Is low dose naltrexone a good treatment for long COVID? Have there been any significant studies that you can share or is it truly still anecdotal?

Cynthia Mwenja

Someone close to me has a chronic illness that worsened dramatically after having Covid. What are the best care strategies for returning to baseline (if possible)? Would it be helpful to get a long Covid diagnosis and treatment? If so, how would one go about doing so?

taylor

What's at risk in this new administration? Is there concern that funding and knowledge about Long Covid will disappear?

Cori

I have long covid so I’d love to know advice for what to say to get our PCPs to be willing to learn & treat it, or else willing to refer us out to long covid clinics. This is a huge issue in the community

Verene Martin

Long-time listener, first time question-asker here! I have ME/CFS, which is a debilitating chronic illness. It had gotten little attention from the medical/research community until Long COVID came along. Now we're told Long COVID and ME/CFS are "basically" the same thing, so ME/CFS patients have been watching Long COVID research much more closely. But, Long COVID patients all seem to get better even if it takes a few years, while ME/CFS patients seem to stay sick for the rest of their lives. Question: Are Long COVID and ME/CFS basically the same thing? If so, why are Long COVID patients almost always expected to eventually fully recover, while ME/CFS patients rarely ever fully recover? Bonus, related question: Have we learned anything from Long COVID research that has directly helped treat ME/CFS patients?

Kyla C (KAI-luh, rhymes with Myra or Lyla)

Does long COVID manifest differently given different strains? I haven't heard many people lose their sense of smell in quite a while for example but that may not be accurate.

Jess H

First time question asker. THANK YOU for covering this topic, seriously. I've seen statistics that certain segments of the population are more at risk for long covid (women, people with autoimmune conditions, and trans folks, for example). Do we know what factors play into this? If you get sick with covid, are there things you can do (or avoid doing) that will help prevent long covid from setting in? Or is it just a wait and see sort of scenario? The variety of symptoms that can happen with long covid seems endless. Is there certain info or research we can leverage to advocate for ourselves with doctors to get a diagnosis?

Kyla C (KAI-luh, rhymes with Myra or Lyla)

Can you help me make an argument to physicians who say that long COVID poses about the same risk as any other post viral condition? Obviously MS and EBV were only a recent revelation but EBV does infect almost everyone and yet does not receive the same attention as Sars-COV-2. I find many HCWs are... burnt out? dismissive? ableist? about preventing COVID transmission and it's often hard to make my case to exercise caution because I simply do not have as many years of training and experience.

Kaitlin Ahrens

First time question asker! How do we find out if we have long covid, and what can we do about it? I’ve had a host of strange symptoms in the years since my first infection, and I get sick way more often now. It’s hard to guess what is covid’s fault or even who to ask about it!

Kevin Wilson

First of all, thank you so much for understanding what I wrote haha. I was so tired writing that last night and re-reading it, I’m glad it made sense lol. To your questions- I haven’t heard about the new proposed mask laws…..I’m scared now to look them up 😓 For me it bothers me so much that people shun masks. Even with Covid aside, some people are walking around with chronic illnesses or conditions that can get worse from a simple cold. Who/what does it hurt if they wear one to protect themselves, and if you’re sick and needing to go out, isn’t it kind to do what you can to prevent someone else from catching what you have? Most chronic illnesses and conditions are invisible to the eye, you never know whose life you may be saving or preventing from getting worse. 🧡 To quote Maya Angelou, “do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” People can change people, and I hope that the stigma of shunning masks goes away. 🫣 sorry for the long winded reply! I just want the world to be kind and caring of people… *steps off soapbox* lol

Kevin Wilson

I’m on a low dose of naltrexone for my long COVID pain! Along with some other meds, and it has helped so much. Still adjusting to find the right cocktail of meds, but this was a game changer for me. (Sorry for chiming in!)

Kevin Wilson

I’m in the same boat at you, I just had a neurophysiological exam for my long covid, and they told me that COVID likely amplified my ADHD and Dyslexia and also caused a form of aphasia. It was so comforting to hear them say there is physical evidence of the brain fog, memory loss etc. and to say I’m not developing dementia or anything else.

Quintan Regan

My mom has been dealing with long covid for about 3 years now. She always complains that gasoline, poop, and some foods like sour cream all smell the same, to the point that she can’t distinguish them. Other weird things also smell the same. Why is this, is there a common chemical or something between them?

Jennifer Froh

I wish people were kinder overall 💜💜

Handrea

Do we know if there have been changes to other cold/flu viruses since the COVID pandemic? Every non-covid illness I've had since COVID has been around have all had weird symptoms, and I feel like it takes weeks for me to get my energy back after even a mild (non-covid) cold.

Julie Scott

I have a friend who was diagnosed with A-fib due to Long Covid. I would really like to know why and how COVID impacts the heart and more about the impact of COVID on the heart, A-Fib, and any other long-lasting impacts. Thanks.

Bonnie MacDonald

Are Long Covid and Fibromyalgia related? Some of the symptoms of Long Covid (fatigue, brain fog, all over pain) overlapped with Fibromyalgia, and a predominant theory in the cause of Fibromyalgia is trauma, both emotional and physical. I wondered if the trauma of having Covid, especially before vaccines, could be causing these Fibro-like symptoms.

Emilia Phillips

I have long COVID, and I was diagnosed by the UNC COVID Recovery Clinic and participated in a one-year impact symptom study. The single biggest relief to my fatigue and brain fog symptoms was a prescription of Metformin, the diabetes medication, by my endocrinologist. I do not have diabetes, but it has done wonders for me and has helped me return to an almost normal life. I know this is clinically experimental, but do you have insight into why this medication helps with long COVID? Are there other clinically prescribed medications that have seen promising results?

Dulcie Meatheringham

First-time question asker! After SARS-1, why did the Public Health profession/systems not learn from and make changes and spread knowledge about airborne viruses, masking, etc.? Public Health in Canada has gone silent about COVID and seems to have lost public trust. Helllllp! What can we do?

Emilia Phillips

I test positive on antigen tests for months and months after every time I have COVID too, Julia, and it’s nearly impossible in my area for someone to give me a PCR to confirm. I have the same questions!

MagpieLaughs

Does Paxlovid during the acute infection reduce the risk of long covid?

Katrina Khalaieff

Is this type of phenomenon documented in other coronaviruses?

Julia Reichelt

First time question asker here: How is long covid properly diagnosed, and what are similar illnesses or syndromes that may look like long covid, but aren’t? I’d be interested in the differential diagnosis process for long covid.

Leaf and Paw

Ugh, like we with ADHD needed any more brain fog. -_- That's so interesting though, and I was close to doing a neurophysiological exam too, I would probably end up with the same answer.

Judy

Can long term covid cause new medical issues such as asthma?

Ry_ofthetiger

How can we accurately diagnose Long Covid? I've had Covid four times (probably) and have since experienced brain fog, memory issues, wheezing, and random aches and pains, but I'm also a new father with questionable sleep habits, a history of asthma, and I suspect undiagnosed ADHD. I feel like my medical history is a bunch of Spidermen pointing at each other, with Long Covid being just one of the possible explanations.

Danae Sprouse

My body breaks out in a rash everytime I am exposed to any illness in my house. I'm assuming it's an autoimmune reaction and I always wondered if it was due to Covid or the vaccine, which is when it started.

Ry_ofthetiger

Is a person increasingly at risk of Long Covid each time they contract the virus? Or if you've dodged the long form, say, four times, is it likely that you're resistant to that particular bad time?

Ry_ofthetiger

Is there anything we can do to prevent Long Covid? Orange Juice? Emergen-C? Vitamin D tablets? Tie fish skins to our feet when we sleep?

Ry_ofthetiger

If a person has Long Covid, and then contracts a variant of COVID-19 again, is it likely to make Long Covid worse?

Mufumama

Asking for my sister who was one of the first diagnosed people here in Iceland. Will the heart palpitations ever stop? Will she regain her hearing on her right ear and will she be able to visit the elves up in the mountains again without passing out from oxygen deprivation?

Julie S

First time question asker! :) How close are we to an actual treatment protocol for physicians to use to treat Long Covid?

Fiona Dolphin

FTQA: my mom said after she got Covid, she had eye floaters for 6 months. Is this a symptom of long covid? Also, FYI she visited an eye doctor and her eyes are healthy and fine and the floaters eventually went away.

Logan Murray

First time question asker here: as someone with Long-COVID (3 years), trying to explain that COVID exhausts your T-cells and makes you more* susceptible to infections is difficult, can they explain how the myth of the hygiene hypothesis is affecting our perception of infections?

Fiona Dolphin

I would like to know the answer to this too!

Amber Dickerson

Are there studies being done on Long Covid and its relationship to menopause and its symptoms?

Leora Shimon

Hi! My spouse hasn't fully recovered from having covid last summer. Various tests of lungs and oxygen levels haven't found anything physically wrong, but they are still experiencing breathing and heart problems. Is this something commonly seen with long covid? and do you have any recommendations for treating it?

The Fang

Is anyone getting any superpowers from long COVID? People have lost sense of smell (among other side effects), but have they swung the other way? There are too many variables for me to say for certain, but I think my sense of smell freakishly improved… like I can smell a dog in another room in a crowded party. (Or maybe my allergy shots have helped 🧐)

Erin Powell

First time question asker! My niece was born at the height of COVID and had it twice before she could speak (my sister pulled her out of daycare and became a stay-at-home mom after that). Now she has eating challenges as a toddler and we wonder if there were impacts to her sense of taste that are contributing. How is long COVID impacting early childhood health, and how do we even attempt to understand that? I also, after having COVID multiple times, lost like 80% of my sense of smell for what felt like permanently. I've made progress over a period of years by actively smelling things close to my face and by breathing deeply into my nostrils. Why do those things help, what's happening there?

Daniel Opdahl

Why are there such pronounced effects of COVID after infection compared with other viruses? Why aren't people affected by long influenza or long measles?

Carly Delavigne

Do we know the reason why metaformin and other medications for auto-immune disorders seem to be working for long COVID patients? What are other possible treatments based on this information?

Carly Delavigne

Have there been any differences in impact on those who are AFAB? I feel like my period symptoms have gotten worse since COVID but can’t tell if it’s just in my mind.

Brittney Corrigan

Is there any evidence for or research about whether or not having COVID can cause pre-existing conditions (such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Epstein-Barr, etc.) that may have been latent for years to re-emerge? Or whether COVID causes problems for those with autoimmune disorders specifically? And if so, would those issues fall under the umbrella of long COVID?

Maureen Flood

Where are we on determining the cause of long-COVID? What are the evidence based treatments right now and what potential treatments are looking good? And, in the words o my friend who has long COVID, “WTF with so much individual variability?”

HECRaiser

If you lose sense of smell is there a point at which one can assume it'll just never come back? It long COVID likely to get worse if you get covid again? Is it getting any better or worse with the newer strains?

Jojo Emerson

I'd love to know about Long COVID's connection to other autonomic nervous system disorders, particularly Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS. How have understandings of other disorders changed as research on long COVID expands?

Jennifer Grogan

My understanding of risk right now is that (I think) we know that every successive Covid INFECTION makes long Covid more likely, while every successive Covid VACCINATION makes long Covid less likely, leaving aside other risk factors. Is that (still?) more or less accurate?

Sarah Huss

I am wondering what impact long covid has on sex hormones, especially in women. I experienced a significant loss of hair with a covid infection and was told by my doctor that anecdotally doctors were talking about correlations between estrogen levels and Covid. For example, I read in a tiny article in 2021 about some LA pediatricians that were seeing early onset of menstruations with Covid infections.

Brenna Pixley

Can long covid effect tolerances of alcohol? I see unable to drink much of anything now bc of migraines. It’s a bummer. I have “ER hangovers” now where I have to go in.

Brenna Pixley

Is there a link between tonsils out and long covid, mostly with long term smell loss?

Hannah Michelle

FTQA. What would it look like to have a health system that meets the needs of people with long covid? Relatedly, what social policies would better support people with long covid?

Michelle Fox

why is it that sour cream still tastes weird to me four years after my COVID infection, when I recovered all of my other taste and smell issues?

princenocturnal

A friend of mine is a nurse and contracted Covid during the first big wave of infections here in Germany. He recovered mostly well but lost all sense of taste EXCEPT for one specific flavor which is lemon. How is that possible?

Garden Specialist

What's the similarity to other "long virus" issues caused by EBV, etc? My child has been suffering chronically with CFS/ME symptoms after contracting mono + getting COVID vaccine while immunocompromised in 2020. Never had COVID, though.

Naia Holte

Longtime listener, first time question asker. With the ongoing covid pandemic, what can we do to prevent Long Covid? (I.e reduce frequency of infections, vaccines etc)

Jeanette-o-saur

Post-exercise symptom exacerbation after recovery - why is this a thing? How common is it and does it tend to continue for people with long COVID?

Jeanette-o-saur

How do studies tease out correlations that can be attributed to long COVID when there are sooo many other things going on (flus, perimenopause, pre-existing autoimmune conditions etc)?

Jeanette-o-saur

How is long COVID the same or different from other post-viral conditions?

Jeanette-o-saur

If there's time I'd love to have a summary rundown of potential vaccine effects vs the actual virus. I feel like I've been having conversations as nauseum with people who insist the vaccine is more dangerous and is really causing long COVID etc etc and let's just say it would handy to have a quick reference of the lowdown.

Jeanette-o-saur

Only if the fish skins are subsequently wrapped in cabbage leaves

bluebadger

Is there any hope that if the scientific community takes Long Covid seriously, it might result in more awareness/serious inquiry and less derogatory attitudes towards patients with ME/CFS and other "invisible" post viral illnesses? Or is it more likely that Long Covid, because it is already controversial and maligned in some circles and is complicated, will also eventually be overlooked and maligned? Which has a stronger gravitational pull? Does it depend entirely on the federal government in which case oof?

bluebadger

Ooh -- also, the inverse: if it has to be isolated to be studied, how do we know that it doesn't behave differently or exacerbate different other conditions when it's combined with them, and can we get our western (ie, one root cause) approaches to accurately identify what is happening if it is exacerbating full-system vulnerability to other conditions in the real world?

Lucy Antonelli

is there anything it WON’T f- i mean mess up?

Skye

Are there any steps someone can take to recover from symptoms of long covid ?

Patrick B

I've had some nasty brain fog ever since I got a pretty bad bout of covid. Could this be long covid? Is there any way to improve this? Will it likely go away over time?

Steven Shelley

Ok as someone who *had* asthma but then grew out of it then got covid and now has it again, what’s the deal with that? I feel cheated by my lungs

Steven Shelley

Are there any traits in people that make them more/less likely to have long covid symptoms? Any lifestyle changes (besides avoiding it at all costs) that can help?

Wren S

You'll probably cover this in the main interview, but is long covid caused by continued viral activity/load perpetuating issues or is it caused by damage caused by the initial infection becoming obvious in some other way? If it is the second, what causes the damage to become an issue (again)? And how are researchers deciding which patients to study as "ideal" long covid cases? [To clarify: I'm not suggesting that people are "faking" it or that there should be some cut-off where we say "these effects aren't bad, deal with it." I'm just wondering what the bar that researchers are putting as the definition. Is self-reporting enough or is there a metric used to assess how bad things are? I think it's interesting where people draw the lines for their studies and in this case define this new disease]

Wren S

Same about the vaccine vs infection! I had people report after the second or third booster that they felt like they got COVID-19 for a day or whatever, but that never happened to me personally. I wonder if they were already affected in some way and the vaccine triggered a reaction? Or if it was the vaccine causing that reaction by itself?

Wren S

Most people I know who are anti-COVID vaccine are also just generally anti-vaccine in general, or specifically against the flu shot. I wonder if there are any sociologists out there that would come on the show to talk about pseudo-science, cults, and/or conspiracy theories and how to "deprogram" people who believe inaccurate things. I have never been able to logic a loved one out of their radicalization because they just insist that facts are false one way or another

Juliana Besenbruch

This question speaks strongly to me! I had post concussion syndrome for a while. My health system has a "physical medicine" department which helped me with many of the associated vision and vertigo symptoms. But now that I have long COVID/ chronic fatigue, they refuse to see me. It might be for insurance reasons, or for their own reasons (no cure for CFS), but in my opinion, you don't have to cure someone in order to help them.

Juliana Besenbruch

I can connect with this! I have long COVID after getting COVID for a second time in March. Whatever test my medical team throws at me comes back normal. I have chronic fatigue type symptoms and normal blood work. Why is this so hard to pin down and measure?

beanbag the cat

massive gratitude to you for covering this topic Alie! questions: 1. any truth to what I've read about Novavax being more effective at reducing long-covid than other vaccines? 2. where can we get ongoing trustworthy info on this topic going forward? 3. would love a full list of every single symptom, even inconsequential ones (like I read that some people get new freckles really close to their eyes/ on their eyelids??) BUT more importantly, which symptoms should we pay attention to/seek treatment for, given that there's not much support for a lot of this and it's difficult to find treatment? 4. is it true that one of the potential effects of covid is that people who have had covid don't care as much about taking precautions against getting it again? (I read this somewhere a couple years ago, I think it was described as "risk appetite" and is similar to toxoplasmosis in that it changes the hosts behavior to cause people to take more risks and increase infection spread.) 5. why are certain groups (specifically trans people but many others as well) more susceptible to worse outcomes of covid? 6. what mental health symptoms are part of long covid? I'm a therapist and I am seeing patterns in increased anxiety and depression that I suspect may be related. thanks again!

Jess H

I definitely had an increase in anxiety and depression after getting covid... Unclear if this was related to the mental stress of having it and not knowing if any serious lingering symptoms would happen, or if it was actually a direct effect of the virus on my brain.

Juliana Besenbruch

Thank you so much for covering this topic! Is long COVID considered a single disease? There is so much variation in symptoms and severity. When I tell people I have long COVID, they ask if it's my lungs. No, I get fatigue, migraines, brain fog, and random aches and pains that don't make sense.

Juliana Besenbruch

How or why are some symptoms difficult to back up with physical evidence? Is this changing? I have long COVID, and I am no longer working due to my symptoms, but every medical test comes back normal. What are some things you wish there were tests for? Or what are some ways you hope science will be able to bridge the gap between symptoms and test results.

Kristin

How can we get people to GAF about Long COVID? So many people I know have given up on most COVID precautions because they survived infection (at least) once, "not that bad" (ie. not hospitalized) but I understand each infection increases your chance of Long COVID

Mari Strombom Johnson

Are providers getting any closer to finding standardized ways to test for and to treat long COVID? I'm going on year 2 with long COVID and the approach so far has been to prescribe drugs to treat each of the symptoms, but nothing is being done to help me recover from long COVID

Georgia Claire

It's not just you, this is a long covid symptom. It's just not widely reported on.

Yuri

do you have any advice for what people with long Covid/MECFS should do? Of course seeing a doctor that understands this would be ideal, however, they are pretty rare, waiting list are huge, and people are sick now

Yuri

Also, DadWard, I really hope your guest would never say something like this, but I’m gonna throw it out there just in case - recommending exercise for people with MECFS/long Covid is really really dangerous. It’s what used to be recommended, and it madea lot of people, thousands and thousands of people, much much sicker. The NHS and NIH have since backtracked and no longer recommend this, however, that Flim Flam is still out there. A really good resource is. Millions Missing, Solve ME, and ME Action network. Have you seen Unrest by Jen Brea? Or her TED talk? She is in LA fyi

Dawn Smolczyk (pronounced small-check)

Are there any connections between long COVID and autoimmune disease? Either autoimmune making or more likely you'll get long COVID, or the opposite?

Dawn Smolczyk (pronounced small-check)

I'm assuming the answer is no, but just want to put the question out there -- can you get long COVID from the vaccine? Do we know if a particular strain or a particular antigen or immune response leads to it?

CurtisDawg

Seems like long COVD is the current topic. But are there long other-things? i.e. Long-flu, Long-colds, Long-RSV... Kind of like chicken pox - once you get it, it's always lurking around inside you.

HaardPass

I second this question bc I have had a LOT of neurological impacts after long covid. (Chronic migraine, brachial plexus neuropathy, general random nerve pain) Which leads me to my secondary question: why does my nervous system now freak out when I have ANY virus?

HaardPass

Same! Had to give up alcohol after long covid > chronic migraine. It became a huge trigger when it hadn't been before.

Roseann Miller

I have believed that I have long CoVid for a couple of years now. I got the ‘Rona for the first time before vax was available. And pretty much get it every new strain. And yes I get vaxed on schedule. Lost taste and smell. To this day, I have days with no smell / taste. Days that I can smell are glorious! Nobody seems interested in helping me determine whether or not I do have long haul vid. Lol are there studies I can participate in? Is there a checklist?😵‍💫

HaardPass

Personal clarification question- do i still have long covid? Is it a forever diagnosis?

HaardPass

But really, is there a designation for persistent nerve damage caused by covid? And how did covid damage my nerves anyway, while we're here.

ilikeplantsmorethanpeople

is it flip flam that folks with pre-existing chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, etc, are more at risk for long COVID?

ilikeplantsmorethanpeople

does the number of times you get covid increase your likelihood of having long covid? Or do particular strains of covid have a higher prevalence of giving you long covid?

Joyclyn Vincent

No specific question from me, I just want to say to everyone in these comments who has been or is still sick, I see you and I care. You are not alone in this.

Dylan

what was the statistical risk of it, and what is it now? like how concerned should i be about contracting covid and giving myself long-term issues?

Stacie Bendixen

First-time question asker! Ever since I first had COVID in 2022, I’ve had a slight wheeze that hasn’t gone away. And when I’ve gotten a cold since having COVID, the symptoms are much more in my chest than ever before - mucus and breathing issues. Why?

Emily Jeanne

First time question asker! Now that Long COVID has been described and generally accepted as an impactful post-viral physiologic process, are there investigations ongoing about analogous post-viral processes as sequelae of other common respiratory viruses (i.e. "Long Flu" or "Long Rhinovirus")?

Spicy Native

What are the odds of getting long COVID nowadays with the strains of COVID that are currently floating about? Is it less of a risk now that we're 5 years down the line with COVID being the new normal?

Marianne Thomas

Can't think of a question, but please tell them thank you!

Marianne Thomas

As a person with ME/CFS, I feel you. Sometimes I question my own sanity & start gaslighting myself! Which is bonkers, because the symptoms are very real. It would be validating to have a test

Marianne Thomas

I'm very proud vaccine but this is a valid question that I'd never contemplated! I hope it gets answered 😁

Genedoc

This is a burning question for me as well!

Leo Chiang

Long Covid is real, but can some instances of long covid be a result of mental states affected by elevated reporting of long Covid? We know other medical conditions, including shadow pregnancies, can happen as a result of belief.

Aazam

Hi DadWard, as someone with preexisting medical conditions, it’s one of my biggest fears. Is the risk of long COVID lower if you’ve been vaccinated? I am a huge proponent of vaccines and always get it ASAP, but I’m worried that preexisting conditions increases the risk

Jess H

First time question asker — How accurate is the data we have about long covid, and how do we parse out which sources are legit? It seems to be something that doctors don't really know much about yet, or perhaps is difficult to diagnose because of the wide range of symptoms. For example — do we really know what percentage of people develop long covid?

Kait

Thank you!!! Living in NYC during 2020 was surreal and I was encouraged when I learned a local hospital was starting long COVID research and even had a hotline I called when I had symptoms. (So thank you to everyone who contributed to that!!!) What does the ologist advise when it comes to routine checkups for symptoms of long COVID? It seems like symptoms vary so widely that I don’t want to be overly anxious, but I don’t want to just dismiss the possibility that some future ailment could be attributed to an infection from 2021 or 2023.

Kait

Are there interdisciplinary studies on the psychology or sociology of PPE, health mandate compliance, etc? Wondering how individualist American cultural norms can shift towards collective care. For years, my NYC neighborhood had free accessible COVID testing (PCR and rapid) and it offered so much peace of mind. It helped me make informed decisions instead of anxiety spiraling anytime I visited people or went in to the office.

Kait

Is there any correlation with exposure to the virus and early child development? Also curious about the social dynamics of kids born 2020-present with social distancing etc.

Jacqueline

Me too! Mainly spreading out from my elbows and knees, weirdly. I never had it after any of my vaccines though, only after a very bad "flu" which I caught travelling in the UK (untested but likely covid).

Sophia A

PLEASE talk about POTS and endothelial dysfunction!!

Olivier Calas

How much corolation is there between your chances of getting COVID and your blood type? I heard and read that people with O- were less likely to get infected. I’m O- and remained COVID-free until 2023 and the it got me. Any truth to this and if so why ?

T Noz

Recently listened to a MicrobeTV TWiV episode that included a discussion of a paper discussing "emerging evidence suggests a potential link between Alzheimer's disease pathologies and infectious agents, with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) being a leading candidate." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39753133/ Maybe SARS-CoV-2 virus has a similar effect on the CNS?

Rebekah Fitchett

Please talk about the connections, or lack there of, between Long COVID and diseases like CFS/ME!

Dinosaurus lex

First time question asker 🙂: is there a correlation between covid and an increase in autoimmune conditions? Any in particular? - thank you

Vanessa Adams

Can you get long COVID after just getting it once? Or does it have to be a certain number of times or severity? How do we know something is from long COVID or just a new organic issue?

Vanessa Adams

Maybe a bit too science nitty gritty, but since coronaviruses are so ubiquitous and COVID-19 has been so prevalent in the population, how do we know that any tests for long COVID are accurate? How do we know there is a definite cause and effect relationship and not just a correlation between prior exposure?

Lauren M

Why does it affect our sense of smell more than other viruses that attack our respiratory system?

Kpelliss

Is there any correlation to long Covid and nightshade sensitivities?

Marianne Thomas

Totally dweeby sidebar, but we have this problem in cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis. A large percentage of cats will test positive for the coronavirus responsible, and you can prove active infection, but because each mutation is relatively unique we haven't been able to test for FIP directly without biopsies. Just a random fact for you

Vanessa Adams

I’m a veterinarian ;) so I’m glad you caught the reference and could see the inspiration for my post. I deal with FIP quite a bit and am fascinated with the relevance to COVID. If it wasn’t for COVID we may not have our FIP cure as we know it today!

Retha Silvis

I have had covid 5 times at least, but the worst was the 2020 alpha strain. I'm a health care worker and I have long covid. I persistly test positive for recent infection. How do I deal with the symptoms (long chronic morning low grade fever and hot flushes, brain fog, fatigue etc.) If no one cares or understands how it feels?

Rayden Marcum

why do people who have seen first hand how debilitating Long Covid is still refuse to mask preventively?

Retha Silvis

Just for interest sake I live in South Africa and I'm a GP. No one ever diagnose or screen for long covid on any patient. Here it is extremely underrepresented even though we see an increase in the varying symptoms. The patients are just diagnosed with a diverse amount of different stuff (mostly psychological or seronegative autoimmune diseases).

Retha Silvis

Post viral fatigue is a "well-known" condition, it's been described at least for a few decades and the symptoms are very similar.

MothxLamp

Why has my sense of smell depleted immensely since I first caught covid in January 2020? I can't even smell an unlit candle unless I stick it in my face 2 cm away from my nose.

Retha Silvis

This question makes me question the long covid dx I have vs ME/CFS. I'm having worsening symptoms over the last 5 years but I'm also getting frequent covid infections, influenza infections (everything you can get), even though I'm vaccinated. I'm a GP and I took a year where I massively scaled down on my hours and it made no difference. I'm back at work full-time for 6 weeks and I'm afraid I won't make it. Sorry random rant. This comment section in general just makes me feel HEARD.

Retha Silvis

I had "perfect" memory, but since 2020 with my first covid infection the brain fog and other psychological, neurological and dysautonomic symptoms has been insane. I'm 33

Dr. Lisa B

My 19 year old son got Covid in 2020 and still doesn't have his sense of smell back. This is unfortunate because he doesn't recognize when he has body odor, and I am tired of telling him. Do I need to send him to a specialist?

Earl of Greymalkin

1) How many different types of Long COVID are there? Are there subgroups with involvement of particular sets of organs? 2) How sure are we that Long COVID is or isn't related to a persistent viral reservoir? 3) What is the distribution for how long Long COVID can be? 4) Are there any decent animal models of Long COVID? Does anything similar happen in companion animals? 5) What other viruses or infections cause similar effects and does Long COVID have anything specific to it? 6) Can we tell if different strains are more likely to cause Long COVID? 7) How much funding is available for this research? Is interest increasing or decreasing? 8) If you get Long COVID and eventually it subsides, does that make you more likely to get similar effects upon another infection? What about infection with a different pathogen? 9) How much of what we know about Long COVID is from alive people versus cadaver research?

choirqueer

My guess would be that no one has had it long enough to really know if it's a forever diagnosis? But now I'm realizing I don't actually know how it's determined if something is considered a forever diagnosis, so now I would really like to know the answer to that too!

William Andrews

Having seen the recent improvements being made by "Physics Girl" Dianna Cowern (and watching the fund raiser even that was on her channel), it got me wondering, is there a recovery trajectory that has seen enough to show that there is a trend?

William Andrews

I have heard of improvements being seen by those that get a vaccination. Has there been testing on mixing different types of vax to see if there is a boost by a mix or if order makes a difference?

William Andrews

Has work been done to see if using monoclonal antibodies in addition to vaccination regimen shows better results than either one alone?

William Andrews

What have we learned about any preexisting hidden conditions that people that have gotten long COVID? Some discussion was that there were a few different conditions that mad people susceptible to LC. Is there a way to look for those conditions? And have we learned about treating them?

Pseudonym Jones IV

Do repeated infections correlate with increased cognitive decline (asking for a human)

Pseudonym Jones IV

I'm not sure what the 'ology is for "What is wrong with people?!?" (anthrokoutosology?)

Kayla Whyte

Are there equivalents of long covid with other infections/illnesses that act similarly to Covid ? Like is there a long term flu?

Silent H

From my friend who has long covid: (1) does having long covid make you more susceptible to contracting covid (or other infections) again? (2) does stress impact your chance of developing long covid or the recovery from long covid? (3) since having long covid means you're forced to be a couch potato, how does that relate to your risk of developing other health problems? Thank you!

Max G

Why do so many of us with long COVID wake up between 2:30-4:30 AM every night? It seems so specific, but I’ve been involved in online long COVID communities for four years now, and it comes up all the time.

Max G

I would love to have them address the misconception that repeat COVID infections are good for the immune system, when they actually increase the risk of long COVID. Seeing media and medical professionals alike misinterpret the hygiene hypothesis to advocate for infecting people with COVID has been a nightmare.

Keerat Singh

For “newer” diseases like COVID, how are effects like long covid identified and agreed upon in the scientific community? How do things go from research to informing medical recommendations?

GirlieHippie

Does the vaccine actually make a difference, does it help prevent or minimize long term COVID? I had COVID multiple times and have been vaxxed 3x yet I was extremely sick; the last time I had it I went hypothermic and still have issues. I also seem to get sick very easily now and have fevers often. Is there some underlying autoimmune disorder from COVID?

Liv Cazzola

I am a private music teacher and one of my students has been struggling with long Covid. Has there been research on the relationship between sonic experiences and long Covid?

tami dynes

I got Fibromyalgia after COVID. Is it actually long COVID? Thanks

TwoStonesWithOneČech

Thank you so much for doing this one in particular, Alie. I’m sure it means a lot to everybody listening and I know for a fact it means a lot to me. Questions: - Please, please, please ask about the cognitive and neurological effects of COVID. How does COVID physically affect the structure and function of the brain and different nervous systems? - There seems to be a lot of new interest in the correlations between long COVID and POTS. How much do we actually know about this? Are there any proposed causal mechanisms that seem promising? Does COVID cause damage to the autonomic nervous system? - What about long term effects of COVID on the global population? Could we start seeing some persistent genetic variations due to COVID becoming endemic?

Jamie M

I've had COVID twice - the first time, I had long COVID that lasted about 6 months, the second time I recovered and didn't have any long symptoms - but the acute phase was just as bad both times -- why?? Is it just a roll of the dice as to whether symptoms linger?

Ezgi Eren

Hello! Long time follower, first time question asker here - asking for a dear friend with long covid: What to say/do to best advocate for yourself, especially when you want to respect the authority of the doctor you are talking to (my friend says this is part of her Asian upbringing :D). Throughout her long covid journey my friend had a variety of experiences. She feels like some doctors can have quite a dominant tone/approach, which sometimes makes her feel not fully understood.

Theodore Perkins

Hi! Ted here. Fan for several years, and first time question asker (although I did ask something once before on my daughter's behalf.) As a scientist, there's many things I'd like to know about long covid. As a sufferer for several years, though, the most important thing I'd like to know is: if one does not have good local support for long covid recovery (e.g. a knowledgable doctor or specialty clinic), what are the best resources one can look to for managing one's own recovery?

Hayley Pingel

Omg yay! I have two questions 1) is long Covid a thing or is it more the impact of intense long term stress on your body? 2) how does the Covid vaccine affect people with long term COVID/ is it more intense for people who never had the vaccine bs people who did?

Leonore Põder

Which drugs do they recommend for the me/cfs subtype of long covid? And are there some kind of comprehensive primers that they recommend with guidelines for tests and drugs for long covid within Europe?

Lindsay C

Yay! With those of us that have had neurological/cognitive symptoms, are there concerns that we may be more predisposed to degenerative diseases of the brain? I joke that I’m dementia waiting to happen…but am I dementia waiting to happen?? 😬 Also, shout out to the physical/occupational therapists working with us long haulers!

margared.meat

There's some interesting medical anthropology and ethnography on all this, from the contradictions of care in using PPE among healthcare workers, like https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/aia/27/2/aia270209.xml?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Anthropology_in_Action_TrendMD_0&ArticleBodyColorStyles=full-text -- to people and the materiality (the STUFF) of epidemic control technologies like PPE use -- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01459740.2018.1484740 . As an applied medical anthropologist, I'd be happy to help translate theseot other articles to clearer language and summarize for Ologites if the episode doesn't cover this, Kait! 💙

Pseudonym Jones IV

What are good resources for keeping track of the latest horrors... i mean developments? The wastewater monitoring site I keep on standby ( https://biobot.io/data/covid-19 )is not as detailed as it used to be.

Rachel

Great episode thank you!

Priyukli

First time question asker - I'm curious about brain fog as a symptom of long COVID vs a symptom of anxiety/depression/aging/attention economy/ being alive in 2025 etc. What methods have scientists been using to link brain fog specifically to long COVID? As someone who has been experiencing more brain fog since contracting COVID in 2022, I'm constantly wondering if my brain is just tired/ overwhelmed or if it's the rona.