What short and long-term effects does COVID-19 have on other body parts, including lungs, brain, heart and kidneys?
What short and long-term effects does COVID-19 have on other body parts, including lungs, brain, heart and kidneys?
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Many people infected with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, but some of the short-term impacts reported by people with mild symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue (tiredness), and body aches. For more severe cases, short-term impacts may include respiratory (breathing) failure, confusion or other neurological problems, and kidney or heart damage due to a lack of oxygen or blood clots that can sometimes cause long-term problems. The worse the symptoms of COVID-19 are, the more likely major organs are to be negatively impacted. COVID-19 may impact organ systems directly (in the case of the virus causing inflammation in the lungs and airways) or indirectly (where organ damage is caused by illness that is a result of COVID-19 infection, but the organ damage is not caused by the virus infecting the organ directly). Recent studies document long-term impacts of COVID-19 on different organs in the body, including lung scarring, limited lung capacity, neurocognitive impacts, heart damage, renal failure, and more. Lungs: Though it can impact other organs, COVID-19 is primarily thought of as a lung (or respiratory) illness. Patients with lung problems like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic (long-term) lung diseases may be at higher risk of having complications from COVID-19. In any infected patient, COVID-19 may cause pneumonia (where the lungs fill with fluid), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis (a bloodstream infection). Lung problems may be short or long term, and experts have suggested that it can take months, possibly even more than a year, for lung function to return to normal after a COVID-19 infection. Early rehabilitation has been shown to improve respiratory (breathing) problems in patients who have had severe COVID-19. Heart: Studies have shown that heart problems are also common. One German study reported that 78 out of 100 patients recovering from a COVID-19 infection had heart-related problems, such as inflammation and scarring, that could have serious consequences. In addition, heart problems have been reported in 40% of COVID-19 deaths. In September, US CDC reported that heart conditions like myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the covering of the heart), are associated with COVID-19. Such heart damage might also explain long-term symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations. Although rare, severe heart damage has also been seen in young, healthy people. Kidneys: The American Society of Nephrology reported that approximately 50% of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 in intensive care experience kidney failure. During July 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 on the kidneys made the news, following updated recommendations from the American Society of Nephrology. On this topic, Mount Sinai Health System Associate Professor of Nephrology and RenalytixAI Co-Founder, Dr. Steven Coca warns about the rise in “chronic kidney disease in the U.S. among those who recovered from the coronavirus...Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic we have seen the highest rate of kidney failure in our lifetimes. It’s a long-term health burden for patients, the medical community — and the U.S. economy.” New research and media reports are continuing to be released. Brain: Emerging evidence has revealed that some COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms in the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia (cell bodies that relay nerve signals). Researchers believe that these effects are an indirect impact of COVID-19 (meaning these effects occur because of illness related to COVID-19, but not as a direct result of the virus entering the tissue). Studies from around the world have reported neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients ranging from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage, stroke, and impaired consciousness in as much as 30% of patients. Researchers have long been concerned about the risks of post-traumatic stress, dementia, and delirium in patients who require intensive care (even without COVID-19). The long-term implications of COVID-19 on the brain and nervous system are still unclear, since COVID-19 is a new disease and there has not been enough time to observe patients over long periods of time. Neurological complications have, however, been reported during previous epidemics, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak more recently in 2012. Since this is a new illness, the real long-term impacts remain unknown. The longer-term effects of COVID-19 are still being studied. Exhaustion, anxiety, dizziness, headaches, muscle aches, loss of taste and smell, and difficulty breathing are often reported in patients who experience symptoms for weeks following their infection with COVID-19. For some people infected with the virus, symptoms have lasted longer than 100 days.
Many people infected with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, but some of the short-term impacts reported by people with mild symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue (tiredness), and body aches. For more severe cases, short-term impacts may include respiratory (breathing) failure, confusion or other neurological problems, and kidney or heart damage due to a lack of oxygen or blood clots that can sometimes cause long-term problems. The worse the symptoms of COVID-19 are, the more likely major organs are to be negatively impacted. COVID-19 may impact organ systems directly (in the case of the virus causing inflammation in the lungs and airways) or indirectly (where organ damage is caused by illness that is a result of COVID-19 infection, but the organ damage is not caused by the virus infecting the organ directly). Recent studies document long-term impacts of COVID-19 on different organs in the body, including lung scarring, limited lung capacity, neurocognitive impacts, heart damage, renal failure, and more. Lungs: Though it can impact other organs, COVID-19 is primarily thought of as a lung (or respiratory) illness. Patients with lung problems like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic (long-term) lung diseases may be at higher risk of having complications from COVID-19. In any infected patient, COVID-19 may cause pneumonia (where the lungs fill with fluid), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis (a bloodstream infection). Lung problems may be short or long term, and experts have suggested that it can take months, possibly even more than a year, for lung function to return to normal after a COVID-19 infection. Early rehabilitation has been shown to improve respiratory (breathing) problems in patients who have had severe COVID-19. Heart: Studies have shown that heart problems are also common. One German study reported that 78 out of 100 patients recovering from a COVID-19 infection had heart-related problems, such as inflammation and scarring, that could have serious consequences. In addition, heart problems have been reported in 40% of COVID-19 deaths. In September, US CDC reported that heart conditions like myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the covering of the heart), are associated with COVID-19. Such heart damage might also explain long-term symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations. Although rare, severe heart damage has also been seen in young, healthy people. Kidneys: The American Society of Nephrology reported that approximately 50% of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 in intensive care experience kidney failure. During July 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 on the kidneys made the news, following updated recommendations from the American Society of Nephrology. On this topic, Mount Sinai Health System Associate Professor of Nephrology and RenalytixAI Co-Founder, Dr. Steven Coca warns about the rise in “chronic kidney disease in the U.S. among those who recovered from the coronavirus...Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic we have seen the highest rate of kidney failure in our lifetimes. It’s a long-term health burden for patients, the medical community — and the U.S. economy.” New research and media reports are continuing to be released. Brain: Emerging evidence has revealed that some COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms in the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia (cell bodies that relay nerve signals). Researchers believe that these effects are an indirect impact of COVID-19 (meaning these effects occur because of illness related to COVID-19, but not as a direct result of the virus entering the tissue). Studies from around the world have reported neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients ranging from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage, stroke, and impaired consciousness in as much as 30% of patients. Researchers have long been concerned about the risks of post-traumatic stress, dementia, and delirium in patients who require intensive care (even without COVID-19). The long-term implications of COVID-19 on the brain and nervous system are still unclear, since COVID-19 is a new disease and there has not been enough time to observe patients over long periods of time. Neurological complications have, however, been reported during previous epidemics, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak more recently in 2012. Since this is a new illness, the real long-term impacts remain unknown. The longer-term effects of COVID-19 are still being studied. Exhaustion, anxiety, dizziness, headaches, muscle aches, loss of taste and smell, and difficulty breathing are often reported in patients who experience symptoms for weeks following their infection with COVID-19. For some people infected with the virus, symptoms have lasted longer than 100 days.
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What our experts say
Many people infected with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, but some of the short-term impacts reported by people with mild symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue (tiredness), and body aches. For more severe cases, short-term impacts may include respiratory (breathing) failure, confusion or other neurological problems, and kidney or heart damage due to a lack of oxygen or blood clots that can sometimes cause long-term problems. The worse the symptoms of COVID-19 are, the more likely major organs are to be negatively impacted.
COVID-19 may impact organ systems directly (in the case of the virus causing inflammation in the lungs and airways) or indirectly (where organ damage is caused by illness that is a result of COVID-19 infection, but the organ damage is not caused by the virus infecting the organ directly). Recent studies document long-term impacts of COVID-19 on different organs in the body, including lung scarring, limited lung capacity, neurocognitive impacts, heart damage, renal failure, and more.
Lungs: Though it can impact other organs, COVID-19 is primarily thought of as a lung (or respiratory) illness. Patients with lung problems like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic (long-term) lung diseases may be at higher risk of having complications from COVID-19. In any infected patient, COVID-19 may cause pneumonia (where the lungs fill with fluid), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis (a bloodstream infection). Lung problems may be short or long term, and experts have suggested that it can take months, possibly even more than a year, for lung function to return to normal after a COVID-19 infection. Early rehabilitation has been shown to improve respiratory (breathing) problems in patients who have had severe COVID-19.
Heart: Studies have shown that heart problems are also common. One German study reported that 78 out of 100 patients recovering from a COVID-19 infection had heart-related problems, such as inflammation and scarring, that could have serious consequences. In addition, heart problems have been reported in 40% of COVID-19 deaths. In September, US CDC reported that heart conditions like myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the covering of the heart), are associated with COVID-19. Such heart damage might also explain long-term symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations. Although rare, severe heart damage has also been seen in young, healthy people.
Kidneys: The American Society of Nephrology reported that approximately 50% of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 in intensive care experience kidney failure. During July 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 on the kidneys made the news, following updated recommendations from the American Society of Nephrology. On this topic, Mount Sinai Health System Associate Professor of Nephrology and RenalytixAI Co-Founder, Dr. Steven Coca warns about the rise in “chronic kidney disease in the U.S. among those who recovered from the coronavirus...Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic we have seen the highest rate of kidney failure in our lifetimes. It’s a long-term health burden for patients, the medical community — and the U.S. economy.” New research and media reports are continuing to be released.
Brain: Emerging evidence has revealed that some COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms in the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia (cell bodies that relay nerve signals). Researchers believe that these effects are an indirect impact of COVID-19 (meaning these effects occur because of illness related to COVID-19, but not as a direct result of the virus entering the tissue). Studies from around the world have reported neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients ranging from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage, stroke, and impaired consciousness in as much as 30% of patients. Researchers have long been concerned about the risks of post-traumatic stress, dementia, and delirium in patients who require intensive care (even without COVID-19). The long-term implications of COVID-19 on the brain and nervous system are still unclear, since COVID-19 is a new disease and there has not been enough time to observe patients over long periods of time. Neurological complications have, however, been reported during previous epidemics, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak more recently in 2012.
Since this is a new illness, the real long-term impacts remain unknown. The longer-term effects of COVID-19 are still being studied. Exhaustion, anxiety, dizziness, headaches, muscle aches, loss of taste and smell, and difficulty breathing are often reported in patients who experience symptoms for weeks following their infection with COVID-19. For some people infected with the virus, symptoms have lasted longer than 100 days.
Many people infected with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, but some of the short-term impacts reported by people with mild symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue (tiredness), and body aches. For more severe cases, short-term impacts may include respiratory (breathing) failure, confusion or other neurological problems, and kidney or heart damage due to a lack of oxygen or blood clots that can sometimes cause long-term problems. The worse the symptoms of COVID-19 are, the more likely major organs are to be negatively impacted.
COVID-19 may impact organ systems directly (in the case of the virus causing inflammation in the lungs and airways) or indirectly (where organ damage is caused by illness that is a result of COVID-19 infection, but the organ damage is not caused by the virus infecting the organ directly). Recent studies document long-term impacts of COVID-19 on different organs in the body, including lung scarring, limited lung capacity, neurocognitive impacts, heart damage, renal failure, and more.
Lungs: Though it can impact other organs, COVID-19 is primarily thought of as a lung (or respiratory) illness. Patients with lung problems like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic (long-term) lung diseases may be at higher risk of having complications from COVID-19. In any infected patient, COVID-19 may cause pneumonia (where the lungs fill with fluid), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis (a bloodstream infection). Lung problems may be short or long term, and experts have suggested that it can take months, possibly even more than a year, for lung function to return to normal after a COVID-19 infection. Early rehabilitation has been shown to improve respiratory (breathing) problems in patients who have had severe COVID-19.
Heart: Studies have shown that heart problems are also common. One German study reported that 78 out of 100 patients recovering from a COVID-19 infection had heart-related problems, such as inflammation and scarring, that could have serious consequences. In addition, heart problems have been reported in 40% of COVID-19 deaths. In September, US CDC reported that heart conditions like myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the covering of the heart), are associated with COVID-19. Such heart damage might also explain long-term symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations. Although rare, severe heart damage has also been seen in young, healthy people.
Kidneys: The American Society of Nephrology reported that approximately 50% of patients with severe cases of COVID-19 in intensive care experience kidney failure. During July 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 on the kidneys made the news, following updated recommendations from the American Society of Nephrology. On this topic, Mount Sinai Health System Associate Professor of Nephrology and RenalytixAI Co-Founder, Dr. Steven Coca warns about the rise in “chronic kidney disease in the U.S. among those who recovered from the coronavirus...Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic we have seen the highest rate of kidney failure in our lifetimes. It’s a long-term health burden for patients, the medical community — and the U.S. economy.” New research and media reports are continuing to be released.
Brain: Emerging evidence has revealed that some COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms in the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia (cell bodies that relay nerve signals). Researchers believe that these effects are an indirect impact of COVID-19 (meaning these effects occur because of illness related to COVID-19, but not as a direct result of the virus entering the tissue). Studies from around the world have reported neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients ranging from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage, stroke, and impaired consciousness in as much as 30% of patients. Researchers have long been concerned about the risks of post-traumatic stress, dementia, and delirium in patients who require intensive care (even without COVID-19). The long-term implications of COVID-19 on the brain and nervous system are still unclear, since COVID-19 is a new disease and there has not been enough time to observe patients over long periods of time. Neurological complications have, however, been reported during previous epidemics, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak more recently in 2012.
Since this is a new illness, the real long-term impacts remain unknown. The longer-term effects of COVID-19 are still being studied. Exhaustion, anxiety, dizziness, headaches, muscle aches, loss of taste and smell, and difficulty breathing are often reported in patients who experience symptoms for weeks following their infection with COVID-19. For some people infected with the virus, symptoms have lasted longer than 100 days.
Context and background
COVID-19 has been linked to a series of health problems beyond respiratory failure (breathing problems), including heart, brain, and kidney problems. Health professionals, scientists, and journalists have reported major differences in COVID-19 symptoms from patient to patient. These differences often occur as a result of patient age, illness severity, duration of symptoms, and organs affected.
Common short-term symptoms for people with mild or moderate COVID-19 illness include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue (tiredness), and body aches. Even with mild or moderate illness, some patients report lingering impacts of COVID-19 lasting for months, and the long-term effects of the disease are not fully known. For patients with severe illness from COVID-19, long-term organ problems appear to be similar to those that occur as a result of other major illnesses the require intensive (ICU) care, including infection, trauma, organ failure (like heart failure), or major surgery. Since this is a new illness, however, the real long-term impacts of COVID-19 are largely unknown.
COVID-19 has been linked to a series of health problems beyond respiratory failure (breathing problems), including heart, brain, and kidney problems. Health professionals, scientists, and journalists have reported major differences in COVID-19 symptoms from patient to patient. These differences often occur as a result of patient age, illness severity, duration of symptoms, and organs affected.
Common short-term symptoms for people with mild or moderate COVID-19 illness include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue (tiredness), and body aches. Even with mild or moderate illness, some patients report lingering impacts of COVID-19 lasting for months, and the long-term effects of the disease are not fully known. For patients with severe illness from COVID-19, long-term organ problems appear to be similar to those that occur as a result of other major illnesses the require intensive (ICU) care, including infection, trauma, organ failure (like heart failure), or major surgery. Since this is a new illness, however, the real long-term impacts of COVID-19 are largely unknown.
Resources
- Coronavirus (WHO)
- The Long-Term Health Effects of COVID-19 (GAVI)
- What are the potential long-term effects of having COVID-19? (AP)
- What Long-Term Effects Could COVID-19 Have on Your Lungs? (Banner Health)
- Acute Pulmonary Embolism in COVID-19 Patients on CT Angiography and Relationship to D-Dimer Levels (Radiology)
- Extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19, see Figure 2 (Nature)
- What Coronavirus Does to the Lungs (JHU)
- COVID-19: Interim Guidance on Rehabilitation in the Hospital and Post-Hospital Phase from a European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society-coordinated International Task Force (European Respiratory Journal)
- Association of Cardiac Injury With Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 in Wuhan, China (JAMA)
- Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (JAMA Cardiology)
- New data shows COVID-19 can cause kidney failure — and launch a different kind of epidemic (Poynter)
- The American Society of Nephrology's Resources and Recommendations (ASN)
- COVID-19 and Kidney Failure in the Acute Care Setting: Our Experience From Seattle (AJKD)
- Coronavirus: Kidney Damage Caused by COVID-19 (Hopkins Medicine)
- How Covid-19 can damage the brain (BBC)
- Neurologic Manifestations of Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan, China (JAMA)
- Neurologic Features in Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection (NEJM)
- The emerging spectrum of COVID-19 neurology: clinical, radiological and laboratory findings (Brain)
- Long after the fire of a Covid-19 infection, mental and neurological effects can still smolder (STAT News)
- Delirium, PTSD, brain fog: The aftermath of surviving COVID-19 (American Psychological Association)
- Study to explore how COVID affects cognition over time (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)
- Coronavirus Disease: Long-Term Effects (US CDC)
- COVID‐19 and the heart: An update for clinicians (Clinical Cardiol)
- Coronavirus (WHO)
- The Long-Term Health Effects of COVID-19 (GAVI)
- What are the potential long-term effects of having COVID-19? (AP)
- What Long-Term Effects Could COVID-19 Have on Your Lungs? (Banner Health)
- Acute Pulmonary Embolism in COVID-19 Patients on CT Angiography and Relationship to D-Dimer Levels (Radiology)
- Extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19, see Figure 2 (Nature)
- What Coronavirus Does to the Lungs (JHU)
- COVID-19: Interim Guidance on Rehabilitation in the Hospital and Post-Hospital Phase from a European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society-coordinated International Task Force (European Respiratory Journal)
- Association of Cardiac Injury With Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 in Wuhan, China (JAMA)
- Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (JAMA Cardiology)
- New data shows COVID-19 can cause kidney failure — and launch a different kind of epidemic (Poynter)
- The American Society of Nephrology's Resources and Recommendations (ASN)
- COVID-19 and Kidney Failure in the Acute Care Setting: Our Experience From Seattle (AJKD)
- Coronavirus: Kidney Damage Caused by COVID-19 (Hopkins Medicine)
- How Covid-19 can damage the brain (BBC)
- Neurologic Manifestations of Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan, China (JAMA)
- Neurologic Features in Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection (NEJM)
- The emerging spectrum of COVID-19 neurology: clinical, radiological and laboratory findings (Brain)
- Long after the fire of a Covid-19 infection, mental and neurological effects can still smolder (STAT News)
- Delirium, PTSD, brain fog: The aftermath of surviving COVID-19 (American Psychological Association)
- Study to explore how COVID affects cognition over time (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)
- Coronavirus Disease: Long-Term Effects (US CDC)
- COVID‐19 and the heart: An update for clinicians (Clinical Cardiol)
