Long COVID-19 Hits Young Adults Harder
The Unexpected Toll of Long COVID on Younger Adults
Published December 2024
About 30% of people who get COVID-19 develop some long COVID-19 symptoms.
Since older adults typically get sicker from a COVID-19 infection, scientists and physicians have thought that older adults may have worse long COVID-19 symptoms as well. But according to Northwestern Medicine researchers, who published a study in the Annals of Neurology, an official journal of the American Neurological Association, younger adults get worse long COVID symptoms.
Long COVID is causing an alteration in patients’ quality of life.— Igor Koralnik, MD
The Study
The study found that 10 months after COVID-19 infection, younger adults (ages 18 to 44) and middle-aged adults (ages 45 to 64) had worse neurologic symptoms of long COVID compared to adults 65 and older.
Neurologic long COVID symptoms among younger people included:
- Headache
- Numbness and tingling
- Problems with smell and taste
- Blurred vision
- Depression and anxiety, now commonly known as the “COVID-19 blues”
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Decrease in cognitive function
The researchers found these neurologic symptoms of long COVID affected younger adults regardless of whether they had experienced mild or severe COVID-19 infections initially.
“While deaths from COVID-19 continue to decrease, people still get repetitive infections with the virus and may develop long COVID along the way,” says Igor Koralnik, MD, chief of neuroinfectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine, who oversees the Neuro COVID-19 Clinic and is the co-director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center. “Long COVID is causing an alteration in patients’ quality of life.”
Younger Adults Need Support for Long COVID Too
The neurologic symptoms of long COVID affect adults differently based on their age group, causing higher rates of illness and disability in younger adults than older adults.
“This study highlights the importance that people of all ages with long COVID should be provided with the necessary treatment and rehabilitation services to alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life,” adds Dr. Koralnik.
While much of the disease process of long COVID remains a mystery, scientists are working diligently to unravel its complexities.
If you’re looking to get care for long COVID, participate in a long-COVID research study or join a long COVID support group, visit Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center.