Long Covid & exercise intolerance

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/well/move/long-covid-exer…

**‘I Had Never Felt Worse’: Long Covid Sufferers Are Struggling With Exercise**

**And experts have some theories as to why.**
**By Melinda Wenner Moyer, The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2022**

**...**
**Long Covid patients frequently report that their doctors have advised them to exercise — but many say that when they do, they feel worse afterward....89 percent reported post-exertional malaise....**

**... some veins and arteries were not working properly, preventing oxygen from being delivered efficiently to their muscles....long Covid patients experience damage to a certain kind of nerve fiber involved in how organs and blood vessel function...** [end quote]

Ordinary tests show no lingering gross damage to the heart or lungs in these patients. The problem appears to be subtler and resembles chronic fatigue syndrome or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The nervous system can’t regulate the things that it’s supposed to automatically control, like heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and body temperature. Yet those are all things that when you’re exercising need to be regulated properly.

Long Covid could have a Macroeconomic impact if many patients end up with disabling fatigue. It’s not as easy to diagnose as physical damage so it’s not clear whether patients would qualify for disability insurance or SSD.
Wendy

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Wendy writes:

It's not as easy to diagnose as physical damage so 
it's not clear whether patients would qualify for disability 
insurance or SSD.

Resulting intolerance for exercise falls far below the typical threshold for disability. Unless the claimant was exceptionally close to tipping over into the SSDI judgement already, there will be little chance of this occurring.

I have directly witnessed this occasional racing heart rate and other low O2 symptoms in family members since COVID19 infection. The impacts, although inconvenient and irritating, are momentary and of little impact to an activity (let alone an 8 hour workday).

I am not pleased to see these episodes occurring in them, however, they ARE insignificant as a fraction of function on a full day’s basis.

I cannot speak to the impacts to a person who is/was otherwise almost completely impaired BEFORE the ADDITIONAL impacts of Covid19 infections. This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for someone who is already just barely getting along.

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