Even people with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 can suffer physical or mental symptoms four or more weeks after their initial illness.
Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted long-awaited guidelines for treating patients with long COVID-19.
"Post-COVID conditions," as the CDC calls them, are poorly understood; symptoms range widely and definitions remain fuzzy, which partly explains why estimates of occurrence range from 5-80%.
These conditions can be debilitating but, lacking compelling labs or scans, some physicians might dismiss them as unrelated or even imaginary.
The agency warns against that attitude, urges empathy, and recommends working closely with patients to treat specific symptoms or conditions, set achievable goals, improve functionality and optimize quality of life.
