Mayo Clinic discusses Post COVID-19 Syndrome

(ABC 6 NEWS) Maybe you’ve experienced it, or maybe you haven’t – Post COVID-19 Syndrome.

It’s when you recovered from the virus but your symptoms still linger.

One doctor at Mayo Clinic has been studying this for the past year and says if you have this, don’t lose hope.

"This condition has become more common and more understood," Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn, an occupational medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic said.

Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn with Mayo Clinic has been keeping a close eye on Post COVID-19 Syndrome, and if you have it, he says it’s tough to get through.

"I often tell folks its like training for a marathon while they have the active flu," Dr. Vanichkachorn said.

Dr. Vanichkachorn leads the COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic. He says he has seen around 400 patients come from across the country to get treated for this.

Common symptoms are fatigue, trouble breathing, headaches, and trouble with memory or multitasking.

"What we try and do with our treatment is first minimize the symptoms for patients so they can get back to those rehabilitation activities, those functions in their lives that they need to get back and that’s what leads to their improvement over time," Dr. Vanichkachorn said.

He says 10 to 35 percent of people who get COVID-19 will get post COVID-19 syndrome. And there’s no magic pill to stop the cause of the symptoms, but rather, he wants to help anyone he can.

"Let’s not focus on curing this right now, but give the patients all of the skills and strategies they need to manage these symptoms so they can stay in control of their conditions," Dr. Vanichkachorn said.

Kids can also get this too. Dr. Vanichkachorn says their symptoms are very similar to adults. He also was a lead author of a study back in May that said 45 percent of patients studied — mostly women — had troubles with thinking like short-term memory loss, multitasking, and speech.

And even if you’re vaccinated against the virus, you could still also get this.

"I have seen a few cases, but it’s rare so that’s a good sign. The individuals that we have been treating and interacting with seem to be getter better faster than the rest of our population," Dr. Vanichkachorn said.

And if you think you’re experiencing this. Dr. Vanichkachorn says to get help.

"I don’t want them to lose hope. There’s been so much emphasis on this condition, and clinical trials going forward into this next year. So there is a possibility we are going to find treatments," Dr. Vanichkachorn said.