Read on to understand the critical symptoms of long COVID and how it can affect your body. A recent study by the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases pointed out, long COVID could be linked to the effect of the virus on the vagus nerve – one of the most important multi-functional nerves in the body.
The Vagus nerve is one of the longest nerves in the body. It extends from brain down into the torso and into the heart, lungs, and intestines, controlling various bodily functions including heart rate, speech, the gag reflex, transferring food from the mouth to the stomach. Symptoms of concern: Nerve thickening, trouble swallowing, impaired breathing, palpitations, night sweats and gastrointestinal disturbances “It is important to caveat that not all symptoms of long Covid may be associated with the direct impact of vagal dysfunction and there are many other presentations that will need further investigation," authors suggest.
Another article published in the scientific publication Nature suggested, even a mild case of COVID-19 can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart failure and stroke, for at least a year after diagnosis.
What’s more, the risk was elevated even for those who were under 65 years of age and lacked risk factors, such as obesity or diabetes.