More than 3,000 patients treated at University of Utah Long COVID Clinic since 2021, cases ‘still around’

SALT LAKE CITY — In March 2020, Crystal Pederson tested positive for COVID-19. Months after, she questioned why she wasn’t feeling any better.

“The weirdness, the extra fatigue, the dragging my body through life… You’re literally hauling each leg to move and forgetting everything,” she said.

Pederson repeatedly visited her primary doctor as symptoms persisted. After doing her own research, she believed she had long COVID, and her doctor agreed.

“The (University of Utah’s) Long COVID Clinic opened just a few months later, and I heard about it and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, sign me up.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 5 adults have long COVID symptoms.

Dr. Jeanette Brown, medical director for the Long COVID Clinic, said since the clinic’s inception in 2021, doctors have seen more than 3,000 patients just like Pederson.

“Long COVID is still around, we still see new referrals,” Brown said on Thursday during a news conference.

Data collected by the clinic showed out of the 3,151 patients they’ve seen, 67% of patients were women, nearly half of all patients are from rural and underserved areas, and the majority of the patients are between the ages of 26 to 62.

“We’ve seen that folks are often having to work reduced hours because their symptoms are bad, or not working at all. And then there’s a huge impact on their ability to care for family members, kids, parents… Contribute to their communities,” Brown said. “So it has a pretty big impact on folks.”

COVID-19 cases are going up across the country, and Utah is not an exception. Data from Health and Human Services shows emergency department visits are trending upwards.

Brown said patients with long COVID who catch another variant of COVID-19 can almost have a relapse of their symptoms.

Symptoms can vary from patient to patient. Some symptoms include extreme fatigue, sleep disorders, brain fog, erratic heart rates, or abnormal blood pressure.

“(Also) what we call post-exertional malaise, which is if you exercise real hard or have an emotional stressor, then 24 or 48 hours later, you’re exhausted, can’t get out of bed, can’t function as well,” just to name a few. Loss of taste or smell can still be symptoms but are not as common.

Because there’s no definitive test or way of finding out if a patient has long COVID, doctors have to think critically to rule symptoms out.

Brown said at the clinic they’re able to refer patients to different specialists to either help them manage their symptoms or help get past them.

“The more we learn directly helps these patients, but also potentially patients in the future or other conditions that may be kind of related,” Brown said.

Pederson still struggles with brain fog and memory loss. She works with a speech therapist and has learned tools like making to-do lists early before her memory loss kicks in. She also has tremors and has seen neurologists to study why.

“My exercise, when it’s not extremely hot, (is to) go for a walk, and I do 700 steps. And then the next walk is 720 steps. It’s literally small increments, but I’m making progress.” Pederson said she’s thinking long terms and is celebrating the small wins. “I might only take 700 steps right now, but maybe in five years, maybe I can take like a half mile to a mile hike,” she said.

The biggest win for her was her diagnosis and the doctors who have been able to help her.

“It’s so validating, to be like I am not crazy, these people believe me.”

Brown said patients can be referred to the clinic by their primary care doctor. Prospective patients can also call the clinic at 801-213-0884, or click here.