Can you die from long Covid? The answer is not that basic

Nearly five years into the pandemic, COVID seems less relevant to our daily lives.

However, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still present, and for many people the effects of the infection may be long-lasting. When symptoms persist for more than three months after the initial COVID infection, it is generally referred to as long Covid.

In September, a Brazilian musician and Grammy Award winner Sergio Mendes died at the age of 83 after reportedly long treatment for Covid-19.

Australian data show that 196 deaths were caused by long-term effects of Covid-19 from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of July 2023.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 3,544 people long-term deaths related to Covid-19 from the beginning of the pandemic until the end of June 2022.

Symptoms long Covid – such as fatigue, shortness of breath and “brain fog” – can be debilitating. But can you die from long Covid? The answer is not that basic.

How long Covid can lead to death?

We still don’t understand much about why the Covid virus has a long course. A popular theory is that “zombies” virus fragments they can linger in the body and cause inflammation even after the virus has gone, causing long-term health problems. Recent research suggests that this is a reservoir SARS-CoV-2 proteins in the blood may explain why symptoms persist in some people.

We know that a earnest Covid infection can cause harm many organs. For example, it may lead to severe Covid-19 permanent lung dysfunctionpersistent heart inflammation, neurological damage and long-term kidney disease.

These problems can, in some cases, lead to death immediately or months or years later. But is death after the acute phase of infection from one of these causes a direct result of COVID, long Covid-19, or something else? Can COVID long directly the cause of death is still a topic of debate.

With 3,544 deaths associated with long-term infection with the Covid-19 virus in the USA until June 2022, the most frequently recorded cause was the Covid-19 virus itself (67.5%). This could mean they died from one of the long-term effects of Covid-19 infection, such as those listed above.

Covid-19 infection was followed by heart disease (8.6%), cancer (2.9%), Alzheimer’s disease (2.7%), lung disease (2.5%), diabetes (2%) and stroke ( 1.8%). Adults aged 75–84 had the highest rate of deaths related to long Covid-19 disease (28.8%).

These findings suggest that many of these people died “from” long Covid-19, rather than from the disease. In other words, long Covid may not be a direct cause of death, but rather a contributing factor, possibly exacerbating existing conditions.

“Cause of death” is complex to define

Long Covid is a relatively modern phenomenon, so data on the mortality rate of people with the disease is constrained.

However, we can draw some conclusions from the experiences of people suffering from post-viral diseases that have been studied longer, such as encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

How long Covid, ME/CFS is a sophisticated condition that can have a significant and varied impact on a person’s physical fitness, nutritional status, social engagement, mental health and quality of life.

Some studies indicate that people with ME/CFS are approx increased risk deaths from causes including heart disease, infections and suicide, which may be triggered or worsened by the devastating nature of this syndrome.

So what does the emerging data on long Covid-19 tell us about the potential increased risk of death?

Research from 2023 suggests that US adults with long-term Covid-19 infection were greater risk development of heart disease, stroke, lung disease and asthma.

Studies have also shown long Covid involves greater risk suicidal thoughts (thinks about or plans suicide). This may reflect common symptoms and consequences of long Covid-19, such as sleep problems, fatigue, chronic pain and emotional distress.

However, long Covid-19 is more likely to occur in people who have it existing health conditions. This makes it complex to determine exactly how long the Covid-19 virus has been contributing to a person’s death.

Research has shown this for a long time reliability problems in reporting causes of death, especially for people suffering from chronic diseases.

So what can we conclude?

Ultimately, long Covid is a chronic condition that can significantly impact quality of life, mental well-being and overall health.

Although the long-term Covid-19 virus is not usually life-threatening or immediately life-threatening, it is possible that it could exacerbate existing medical conditions and thus contribute to a person’s death.

Importantly, many people around the world with long-term Covid-19 do not have access to adequate support. We have to develop care models for optimal management of people suffering from long-term Covid-19 disease, with particular emphasis on multidisciplinary care.

Dr Natalie Jovanovski, Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University, contributed to this article.