While the world is reeling from the effects of the deadly coronavirus, another news shook us all yet again. Coronavirus is not like the seasonal flu virus which gets cured within a few days. A person infected with the deadly virus, can feel long-lasting effects. Want to know how? Then read on.
Evidence of Long-Lasting Effects of Coronavirus from Italy:
A research was conducted in Italy, on 179 volunteers who fit the WHO’s criteria for leaving quarantine facilities. The study was also published in the American Journal of Medicine last week. According to the research, recovered coronavirus patients experience fatigue, and shortness of breath for a long time. Moreover, nearly 14% of the recovered patients tested positive for the infection again.
The 179 recovered coronavirus volunteers were observed by researchers over a period of two months. Out of these, 18% volunteers remained symptom free, 32% had one or two symptoms, and 55% volunteers complained of three symptoms. Also, 53.1 % patients experienced fatigue, and 43.4% experienced dyspnea.
Approximately 87.4% of the recovered coronavirus volunteers complained of fatigue even after two months.
Importance of Follow-up Care:
Dr. K Srinath Reddy, President of Public Health Foundation of India, says that, majority of the coronavirus patients are recovering well. However, long lasting effects are seen in severely ill patients.
Furthermore, to prevent these long-term effects we must teach follow-up care to patients and their families in primary care. Also, coronavirus patients go through a lot of physical and mental challenges. Therefore, effective rehabilitation services are necessary.
Is COVID-19 a Systemic Disease?
According to Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS and head of COVID-19 research in India, coronavirus is a systemic disease. This means that the virus does not only target the lungs, but the patient’s entire body. Effects can be seen in the form of damage to the heart and kidney. In fact, in some patients severe brain damage and clotting issues are also noticeable.
Several patients require oxygen at home even after their recovery. Furthermore, a lot of patients complain that they are unable to resume work because of fatigue. This clearly indicates that the coronavirus can do long-term damage to the entire body, and not just lungs.
It has been only 7 months since the world came to know of coronavirus. It’s difficult to figure out every aspect of the infection in such a short span of time. However, studies are going on, and hopefully, we will have all the answers soon.