Shortness of Breath After COVID-19: Causes and Treatment

shortness of breath after covid

Is It Normal to Have Shortness of Breath After COVID-19?

COVID-19 can damage the tissue in your lungs and may also affect your breathing patterns, which can cause shortness of breath to linger. It’s possible for this symptom to persist for weeks, months, or years.

A woman wearing a dark green hoodie bends over to catch her breath due to difficulty breathing.

One symptom that often lingers after having COVID-19 is shortness of breath. If you have shortness of breath, you’ll feel like you can’t catch your breath. Your breathing may be faster than usual, and it may feel uncomfortable.

Symptoms that persist after you’ve had COVID-19 are considered their own condition: long COVID. It’s quite common. In fact, a 2022 survey found that close to 1 in 5 people in the United States who recovered from COVID-19 reported having long COVID symptoms.

This article takes a closer look at what we know about the causes of shortness of breath after COVID-19. It will also include information about when to seek medical care and ways to get relief.

Shortness of breath is a common symptom after COVID-19. A 2022 review of 102 studies, many of which involved people hospitalized with COVID-19, found that shortness of breath after COVID-19 had a prevalence of 26%.

Generally speaking, shortness of breath may take up to 13 days to ease after you’ve had COVID-19. In people with long COVID, symptoms like shortness of breath can last for weeks, months, or even years .

COVID-19 and your lungs

The respiratory system is typically the first part of the body affected by COVID-19. This can include the upper respiratory tract, such as your nose and throat, and potentially the lower respiratory tract, which includes the lungs.

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SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, infects the cells that line your airways. The viral infection and the inflammation your immune system causes in response to the infection can damage lung tissue.

This includes the alveoli, which are the tiny air sacs in your lungs where gas exchange occurs. Gas exchange involves the movement of vital oxygen into your bloodstream in exchange for carbon dioxide, a waste gas.

When the alveoli become damaged, gas exchange can’t proceed as efficiently. That means that your body may not be getting enough oxygen. As such, you can feel short of breath.

COVID-19 and your breathing patterns

It’s also possible that coping with a respiratory infection like COVID-19 can affect your breathing patterns. These can include things like:

  • how you breathe
  • the amount of air you take in
  • how fast you breathe

These patterns may not return to normal in the initial stages of recovery. Because of this, you may also find yourself short of breath at times.

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