10 million Americans undiagnosed with disease that causes fatigue, brain fog and headaches: report

While the pandemic may be over, its enduring effects are being felt by millions.While most people who test positive for COVID recover within a week or two, some continue to report symptoms — and even develop new ones — months and even years later.Known as long Covid, this debilitating post-infection condition can cause severe fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, depression, brain fog, headaches, menstrual changes, and muscle pain.Previous research estimated that 20 million Americans have long COVID; however, new research published in JAMA Network Open suggests that an additional 10 million Americans may be unknowingly suffering.Researchers from Mass General Brigham used AI to build a comprehensive view of the lasting effects of COVID by analyzing nearly half a million medical records to track how many patients tested positive for COVID and later sought care for long COVID symptoms.

“We built an AI to map the post-pandemic reality, and it uncovered a 10 million-person blind spot in the American healthcare system,” said study author Hossein Estiri, leader of MGB’s clinical augmented intelligence research group.Results show that while 16% of people who got COVID developed long-term symptoms, those symptoms are not always identified as such.This latest tally of COVID patients with chronic symptoms is more than double that of some estimates, and nearly triples the figures suggested by the World Health Organization.Estitiri’s figures are more consistent with a 2024 survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that 18% of U.S.adults experience long COVID.Research shows that women, people with underlying health conditions, and those who did not receive a COVID vaccine are more likely to develop long COVID.

According to the CDC, long COVID can be difficult to diagnose or explain, as the condition is based entirely on symptoms that care providers tend to treat as individual issues, rather than ...