Discover what the latest science from the RECOVER Initiative means for our ability to understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat Long COVID.
This page contains descriptions of findings from RECOVER research studies. These descriptions use plain language and a format that is easy to understand.
If you want to learn more about the scientific discoveries described here, you can also browse and search the complete list of RECOVER Publications.
This RECOVER study found that adults who had COVID-19 were more likely to develop a condition called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) compared to those who didn’t have COVID-19. ME/CFS can be very severe and similar to many forms of Long COVID. Even small amounts of effort can lead to days or weeks of physical and mental exhaustion in people with ME/CFS. Researchers studied about 13,000 RECOVER participants and found that 4.5% of people who had COVID-19 in the study later developed ME/CFS, while only 0.6% of those who didn't have COVID-19 got ME/CFS. These findings highlight the need for healthcare professionals to be aware that ME/CFS can develop after having COVID-19.
This RECOVER study looked at how COVID-19 can impact people’s physical abilities. Researchers looked at 3 groups of adults in the RECOVER study: people who never had COVID-19, people who had COVID-19 in the last 3 months, and people who had COVID-19 more than 3 months ago. They wanted to know if people who had COVID-19 were more likely to have trouble with daily activities like walking, climbing stairs, or getting in and out of a chair compared to those who never had COVID-19. To measure physical ability, participants were asked to sit in a chair and stand up as many times as they could in 30 seconds. This study didn't find big differences in physical abilities between the groups, but those who had severe COVID-19 and long-lasting symptoms faced more challenges. This study is important because the findings show that COVID-19 may have long-term impacts on physical function.
This RECOVER study looked at the similarities and differences between Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in electronic health records (EHRs). Both illnesses can make people feel exhausted for long periods of time. Researchers studied the EHRs of 6.5 million adults and found some similarities between people who had diagnoses of either Long COVID or ME/CFS. Problems like trouble breathing, feeling very tired, and difficulty focusing were seen in the EHRs of both people with Long COVID diagnoses and those with ME/CFS diagnoses. But there were also some differences. People with a diagnosis of Long COVID were more likely to have problems with their heart and lungs in their EHRs. People with a diagnosis of ME/CFS were more likely to have pain, trouble sleeping, and problems with mood or thinking in their EHRs. Researchers looked at the symptoms listed in people’s EHRs, regardless of diagnosis. They found that about half the people with symptoms that looked like Long COVID also had symptoms that looked like ME/CFS. This research is important because Long COVID and ME/CFS can look similar. That means people with either illness may benefit from some of the same treatments.
This RECOVER study aimed to better understand how Long COVID affects kids in different ways. Researchers looked at the electronic health records (EHRs) of pediatric patients under the age of 21 who had signs of Long COVID. The study focused on children who were generally healthy and did not have serious long-term health problems before they got sick with COVID-19. Researchers used a special computer method to look for patterns of symptoms in children’s EHRs. This helped them find groups of kids who had similar health problems after having COVID-19, meaning that they had similar experiences with Long COVID. They found that more than half of the children in the study had heart, lung, and breathing problems related to Long COVID. Other common symptoms included muscle and joint pain, mood and thinking problems, stomach issues, headaches, and feeling tired. These findings give researchers a clearer picture of how Long COVID shows up in kids, which can guide future studies.
This RECOVER study looked at whether pregnancy made it more or less likely to get Long COVID. Researchers compared the electronic health records (EHRs) of pregnant women who had COVID-19 during pregnancy to those of non-pregnant women of the same age who also had COVID-19. They found that even though many pregnant women got Long COVID, they were less likely to get it than non-pregnant women their age who had COVID-19. But, certain risk factors increased the chances of Long COVID among pregnant women. These included identifying as Black, being age 35 or older, having COVID-19 earlier in pregnancy, being overweight, and having other health conditions. This study shows that even though many pregnant women have Long COVID, they are less likely to get it than women who are not pregnant.
This RECOVER report looked at how using electronic health records (EHRs) to study Long COVID can be both helpful and challenging. EHRs are digital records with a patient’s health information. One good thing about using EHRs is that researchers can use computer programs to find people who might have Long COVID based on their symptoms. This can help researchers figure out what might increase the risk of getting Long COVID, like age and other health problems. EHRs also provide quick access to health records from many patients, which speeds up Long COVID research. A main problem with studying EHRs is that the information in them is not always complete or consistent because different medical providers enter it in different ways. This makes it harder for researchers to find patterns or other details they need to better understand Long COVID. Even with these challenges, the researchers explain that looking at EHRs can still help us better understand Long COVID and improve the lives of people with Long COVID.
In this RECOVER study, researchers aimed to improve a large national database on COVID-19 patients from many hospitals to better answer research questions about Long COVID. They noticed that the current database was missing the details needed to study Long COVID properly. To fix this, researchers created clear, step-by-step instructions to help hospitals add specific details from patients’ electronic health records (EHRs) to data they submitted to RECOVER. These extra details included notes on patient visits to Long COVID clinics, hospital stays, living situations, jobs, and if they needed extra oxygen while in the hospital. By June 2024, 29 hospitals had added this more complete information to the data they submitted to RECOVER. Having the hospitals submit data this way made it easier for researchers to compare patient information from different places. This study shows that using clear and standard ways to collect data are important for big research studies. It also shows that researchers sometimes need more details to study difficult research questions, like those about the long-term effects of COVID.
This RECOVER study looked at whether some children were more likely to have long-term breathing or brain/nerve problems after having COVID-19. Researchers studied the electronic health records (EHRs) of 771,725 pediatric patients under the age of 21 across the US. They found that children under 5 years of age and Hispanic White children had a higher chance of having breathing problems linked to Long COVID. This was also true if they lived in low-income areas or had other breathing problems before getting COVID-19. Children ages 12–17 years old and non-Hispanic White children were more likely to have brain and nerve problems related to Long COVID, especially if they already had other problems related to the brain and nerves. These findings show that race and ethnicity may affect how children experience Long COVID. Factors like where children live and how easy it is for them to get healthcare could play a role in these differences. This research shows why it’s important to understand these factors, so all children can get the care they need after having COVID-19.
Scientists updated a prior RECOVER study to explore Long COVID symptoms reported by participants in the RECOVER-Adult Observational Cohort Study. They compared symptoms in people who had COVID-19 to those who did not have COVID-19 to find the symptoms that were most different. The updated study included 13,647 participants, compared to 9,764 in the original, and added 8 new symptoms based on patient and community feedback. Symptoms that were most different between people with and without COVID-19 include post-exertional malaise, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, palpitations, smell or taste change, thirst, chronic cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, and sleep apnea. In addition, this research update classifies Long COVID symptoms into 5 groups of symptoms called clusters. The previous study focused on 4 clusters. This study update is important because it highlights the wide range of symptoms experienced by people with Long COVID. Understanding these symptoms will help researchers study Long COVID and look for treatments.
