New Study Suggests Your Gender May Be A Risk Factor For Long COVID

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that as of the end of September, 15% of adults who had previously contracted COVID-19 were still showing symptoms of long COVID. Long COVID refers to people who continue to exhibit health concerns long after testing positive for the virus, even if they no longer test positive for the disease (via American Medical Association). Long COVID symptoms last more than four weeks. Some people with this condition finally begin to feel normal after a month or two while others may still be dealing with symptoms with no end in sight.

While there are still many questions about long COVID, a new study is shedding more light on who is at risk. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 63% of people who experienced persistent long COVID symptoms during the first two years of the pandemic were women. These statistics will help medical professionals better diagnose and treat people who are struggling with long COVID. The data will also help medical professionals understand risk factors for developing long COVID.

While COVID symptoms last less than two weeks for most people, there are those who experience symptoms for months after testing negative for the virus (via Johns Hopkins Medicine). Anyone can experience long COVID, regardless of their age or how severe their experience with the virus was. There is still a lot of mystery around what causes long COVID and who is more susceptible to this health concern, although the above-mentioned study regarding women does provide a little more insight.

Symptoms of long COVID often include symptoms of COVID, such as fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Brain fog also seems to be a common ailment that people with long COVID are dealing with (via HuffPost). Brain fog is the inability to think clearly. While many things can cause brain fog, like lack of sleep, more and more coronavirus infections have been shown to cause brain damage that can cause issues with concentration and memory. Brain fog from COVID often leaves after a few weeks, so wait it out if you recently had COVID. However, this issue can persist for months and even years in some people.