What is Post-COVID syndrome/long COVID?
The long-term effects of COVID-19 may be referred to as long COVID or post-COVID syndrome. These are interchangeable terms. Long COVID can affect people of all ages, and the most common symptoms include extreme tiredness (fatigue), shortness of breath, muscle aches, difficulty concentrating, cognitive dysfunction and joint pain.
Clinical definitions (NICE/SIGN/RCP 2021):
- ongoing symptomatic COVID-19: signs and symptoms of COVID-19 from four to 12 weeks
- post COVID-19 syndrome: signs and symptoms that develop during or after COVID-19 and continue for more than 12 weeks and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis.
For Information on how to manage and support your patients with symptoms of Long Covid see GP Leaflet created by LongCovidSOS. This has been approved by RCGP. 8bd4fe_829f79b885884ce29c4e10924cb41eca.pdf
Lothian services
- Core rehabilitation services
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) service ME-CFS Chronic Fatigue Rehabilitation Service – RefHelp
- Speech and language therapy SLT post/long COVID symptoms – RefHelp
- Lothian Work Support Service Lothian Work Support Services (LWSS) – RefHelp
- Post COVID breathlessness pathway including when pulmonary embolism is suspected; Respiratory-Post-Covid-Syndrome-v10.pdf
- Not all Post-Covid breathlessness is respiratory in nature:
- Consider dysautonomnia or POTS. See RefHelp page on PoTS here: Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) – RefHelp and Home – PoTS UK
- Chronic spontaneous urticaria (and mast cell activation syndrome) Chronic spontaneous urticaria – RefHelp
- Patients with ongoing fevers >38oC or symptoms of infection of more than 3 weeks duration, documented in a temperature diary, where no other explanation for the fever is apparent, especially if the patient is immunocompromised, should be referred to Infectious Diseases
- Patients with symptoms more suggestive of a possible cancer diagnosis (such as lymphadenopathy or unexplained weight loss) should be urgently referred via the appropriate USOC Sci Gateway pathway see: http://www.cancerreferral.scot.nhs.uk/Home.
- GPs can refer directly for CT scan of the chest / abdomen / pelvis for those with non-specific features concerning for malignancy GP Access to CT for Suspected Cancer (No Clinically Obvious Primary) – RefHelp
- Please note – Digital support pathway for long COVID is no longer available
(The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network/Royal College of General Practitioners guidance on managing long-term effects of COVID-19 (updated November 2021))
Long Covid SOS GP Leaflet 8bd4fe_829f79b885884ce29c4e10924cb41eca.pdf
Long Coid SOS Patient Leaflet 8bd4fe_f4257eb234104900a9eb082dde954939.pdf
