Long Covid hub
Key takeaways
Long Covid is the term for symptoms that carry on for weeks or months after a COVID-19 infection.
Symptoms vary more than in ME/CFS or fibromyalgia. There is no single defining symptom, and no two people experience it the same way.
There is no cure yet. Management means pacing, treating symptoms as they come, and adjusting daily life to avoid setbacks.
Many people with Long Covid also meet the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. Where post-exertional malaise is present, ME/CFS pacing applies directly.
Long Covid is the newest of the three conditions on this site. It is also the fastest-moving. Research has grown quickly since 2020, but clear, plain-language guidance for patients has taken longer to catch up.
Our guides are written for wherever you are: newly experiencing symptoms, living with them for years, or supporting someone who is.
Understanding Long Covid
Long Covid is the patient-coined umbrella term for symptoms that persist after a COVID-19 infection. In UK clinical guidance, NICE NG188 covers both ongoing symptomatic Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 syndrome. A significant proportion of people with Long Covid meet the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS: where symptoms overlap, our ME/CFS guidance often applies.
What is Long Covid?: a plain-language introduction to the condition, how it develops, and who it affects.
Causes and triggers: the viral onset, possible mechanisms under investigation, and what can trigger daily symptom worsening.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Long Covid affects a wider range of body systems than ME/CFS or fibromyalgia, and the symptom picture varies considerably between people. Common features include fatigue, breathlessness, cognitive difficulties, and post-exertional malaise, but no single symptom defines the condition.
Long Covid symptoms: the main features explained in plain language.
How Long Covid is diagnosed: the NICE NG188 framework, what tests help rule out other conditions, and how to prepare for your appointment.
Managing daily life
There is no cure for Long Covid yet. Management focuses on pacing, treating specific symptoms, and adapting daily life to reduce symptom worsening. For people whose symptoms include post-exertional malaise, the pacing approach used in ME/CFS applies directly.
Managing Long Covid: pacing, symptom-specific treatment, and working with your GP.
Living with Long Covid: adapting routines, home setup, work, and relationships.
The impact of Long Covid: how the condition affects work, finances, relationships, and mental health.
Research and news
Long Covid research has attracted significant funding and attention since 2020. The field is moving quickly, and findings on mechanisms and treatments continue to evolve.
Long Covid research: what is currently being investigated, and where the main questions sit.
Long Covid news: how to spot reliable updates in a fast-moving field.
Support and resources
Long Covid resources: patient organisations, research bodies, tracking tools, and communities worth your time.
FAQs: answers to the most common questions about Long Covid.