Does COVID Mess With Your DNA?

As more and more are infected with COVID-19, there's a growing group of people who have what's called Long COVID, meaning they still have symptoms for weeks or months after getting sick. While we still don't know for sure the cause of long COVID, there's a growing body of research that long COVID may be the result of the virus messing with people's DNA.

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Sources:

Sources:
Swedish studies:
US studies:
Norwegian study:
General review on long COVID:
Other:

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[bluebirdeyes]

I developed POTS after a cold. This was before COVID—I was on a vacation with friends where we all got sick, and I just never really got better. I'm really hoping that all this long COVID research helps with those like me who have similar (but not COVID-related) cases of post-infection chronic fatigue syndrome. I'm glad there's finally funding and visibility for this type of condition and am hopeful that it'll help us develop more effective treatments once we're able to narrow down the causes.

[ETBrenner]

Another COVID-concerned person who was wrestling with chronic fatigue issues years before COVID, who couldn't help noticing similarities with the emerging info about long COVID. Thank you for continuing to put out this vital info.

[EmmaDoty]

I was 19 and in great shape when I got Covid in June 2022. I had to take the year off college because I couldn’t breathe and had bizarre mental and cognitive symptoms, such as paranoia that convinced me people had come from my hometown 30 miles away to break into my dorm room. In January 2023, I ended up in the hospital for an asthma attack, after which I started on two maintenance inhalers and a rescue inhaler. I never had asthma before Covid. Today, with the three inhalers, I am back to going on walks and bike rides and plan to return to college and my beloved marching band in the fall. I hope my story can bring hope to someone currently suffering.

[TheDangersquirrel]

As someone with Long COVID (for three years now!) thank you folks for continuing to make videos about it. The only thing worse than the physical symptoms is the systemic gaslighting as “society” tries to act like things are “normal.”

[BensBrickDesigns]

I hope something can help Physics Girl soon.

[caleb]

I have severe long COVID. Former healthy uber-athlete, bedridden for months, POTS, chronic fatigue, same story as everybody else. It’s such a strange disease, I know we’re only beginning to scratch the surface. It’s inspired me to go into medical research (I was 17 at onset, now leaving for college) to do my part to help figure out all these forgotten diseases for all the people that got left behind. I have no doubt we’ll figure it out eventually, with enough people who care working hard.

[PBlague]

Sending love to the PhysicsGirl! Hope she recovers from this unfortunate case as these studies makes us understand how ME/CFS and Long covid work

[Dehn-Vallah]

I got COVID back in 2021 and have been struggling with the fatigue ever since. It has made my asthma worse, my joint pain has increased and I also deal with hemiplegic migraines. Since contracting what I believe to be long covid, the migraines have increased and my ability to focus on things without losing vision is becoming a daily battle.
Thanks you guys, for continuing to bring good information to us.

[rhodrambles]

What scares me as someone who has had long covid is what we still dont know and what might still be down the line, but it also weirdly makes me optimistic about what we could learn from it. Im under 30 and had no health conditions and was generally active, fit and healthy. I had covid in 2020 before my age group was vaccinated (UK), I suffered heart lesions, lung scarring, nerve damage in my legs, joint problems, developed intestinal colitis, food allergies that I didnt have before and had / have pretty bad long covid for almost 2 years. All of that without being so ill as to be hospitalised. Its kind of wild how much variation it had from person to person and I hope someday we figure out why. It feels like if we can, its going to open a whole new box of medical advancements.

[angelcollina]

I'm so happy about possible Long Covid breakthroughs! I got covid back in March of 2020 when you couldn't even get a test and hospitals were all full. It was terrible. But since then for going on 3 years now I've had Long Covid flareups. It includes everything from being short of breath, to feeling feverish, to extreme lethargy and heart palpitations. I just wanna be healthy again!

[GamerXenith]

Thank you for your continued coverage of this! 💜 I've been left incredibly disabled by neurological long covid symptoms and your previous video about studies with antihistamines probably saved my life when I was starting to give up hope. Your videos mean so much to some of us and I want you to know how big of a difference it makes. Truly, thank you ❤

[UnlimitedFlyers]

Thank you for the continued coverage of COVID in SciShow, SciShow crew. Really appreciate it: you guys were lifesavers at the onset of the pandemic. Please keep up the good work!

[MysteryCorgi_VN]

Thank you for talking about it. For people like me (immunocompromised), it's not over. So my household is still isolating/sheltering in place. I only go out for doctors appointments. Which gets riskier as medical offices are dropping masking (if they hadn't already.) And as everyone is encouraged to stop caring for the sake of the economy, it's gotten more and more lonely.

[Merennulli]

I am so glad that at least some scientists are taking this seriously. It's been frustrating hearing all the political "it's over!" BS and watching funding and public safety be pulled at every turn.

[phoenixdown]

Thank you for this video! I feel pretty isolated as one of the only people I know who still cares, but long COVID, CFS, and chronic illnesses in general are awful

Also, shoutout to the SciShow team member who has to deal with comment moderation! Gotta be a tough job on these kinds of videos ❤️

[sabikitsune]

I wonder how covid may be able to interact with other diseases. Just a single case but: My mother has Huntington's. She was very fortunate and had absolutely no symptoms, she only knew because it runs in the family and she got tested. Back in 2020 the whole family caught covid. Almost immediately after, she began showing symptoms of Huntington's. It makes me wonder if the covid somehow "activated" the other. Of course, this is only a single case and could be coincidence, but I can't help but be curious about the possibility.

[willmendoza]

I was hoping you guys would cover this again. I'd love to see a deep dive into CFS, as well, especially since fellow science communicator, Physics Girl's ongoing struggle with the illness

[AeDeeLady]

Thank you for still making vids about covid. I have been dizzy since Feb 2022 when I got Covid as well as chronic fatigue. Hopefully we get answers some day.

[hollyw]

Long Covid seems to me to be a lot like the chronic fatigue syndrome that I suffer from. It seems to me likely that all of these things are related to the illnesses like shingles that come from a virus that has been inactive.

[soph]

Had heart palpitations, lost/warped smell and taste, and fatigue for at least half a year to a year after getting covid. It was rather scary and even now that im better i still wonder if my body/mind is completely back to normal sometimes, though im grateful for what i have.