The Most Common Long COVID Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing Right Now

Some people may have only one symptom; others may have several.

“The majority of people that we see who come into our clinic have multiple symptoms, and they tend to be fairly widespread,” Lago said.

In other words, if you have two vastly different symptoms on this list — like diarrhea and chest discomfort — it is still potentially a sign of long COVID. But you can also just have one of the conditions above and still be dealing with long COVID. 

Long COVID can be different in different populations.

“It actually is interesting, there was a study that came out recently that said there are different forms of long COVID that are more common in different groups of people,” according to Gorman.

Men are more likely to have cardiovascular symptoms (like chest pain or a fast-beating heart) while women are more likely to have neurological symptoms (such as brain fog), she said. Additionally, women are overall more likely to have long COVID symptoms, according to an August study published in the Journal of Women’s Health.

What’s more, there are different symptoms among racial and ethnic groups as well, she said. 

“A lot of Black people who have long COVID are not being … recognized or diagnosed,” Gorman said. But when Black folks are diagnosed, they are presenting with fewer cognitive symptoms than white people, for example.

If you’re worried you have long COVID, see your primary care doctor.

At this point, there is not a one-and-done treatment for long COVID, but “there are therapeutic agents that are in various stages of clinical trials,” Gorman said. For example, researchers are working to determine if Paxlovid is helpful for long COVID ailments, while other trials are researching treatments for common symptoms like brain fog and fatigue. 

And many patients are finding success by going to doctors who treat the prevalent symptoms, Freidberg said. But it’s important to understand that not all doctors are prepared to treat long COVID. If you find that your doctor is dismissive or refusing to give you the help you need, you should find someone else for your treatment. 

″[You] should be able to get validation and support from [your] health care team,” Freidberg said. “I think having a close relationship with a good primary care physician or provider is really important as a part of that.”

If you think you have long COVID, you should first visit your primary care doctor, who can help determine if it is long COVID or another illness.

If you find that your primary care doctor isn’t validating or helping you feel better, check if there is a long COVID treatment clinic in your area. There are a number of these treatment centers throughout the country, according to Freidberg. 

Survivor Corps, a long COVID advocacy group, has a database of treatment centers that you can use to find a doctor near you.