Covid Survivors Experience Long-Term Medical Problems | News Extras

People infected with the COVID-19 virus are more likely to develop what are called long COVID complications.

In a virtual COVID-19 update from the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, Dr. Sanamohammed, a COVID-19 consultant at Cuba Hospital and a multi-training facility, is increasingly revealing that some patients will continue to be affected. I said there is. COVID-19 virus.

According to Mohammed, long COVID is a sign and symptom that occurs during or after COVID-19 infection, lasts for more than 4 weeks, and is not explained by another medical condition.

She said the symptoms of Long COVID are very diverse, with the most reported being fatigue, severe fatigue and shortness of breath.

Symptoms associated with Long COVID include respiratory, dermatological, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, psychological / mental, systemic, and ear, nose, and throat symptoms.

“Many patients describe the debilitating nature of the illness, which makes them feel as if they have recovered for a minute, but then it hits you. Some patients do this not only for you, but for you really. Described as a constant cycle of disappointment for those around you who want to recover.

She said patients may sometimes feel isolated and that they are the only ones experiencing ongoing symptoms after COVID-19 infection. However, as they continue their journey, they begin to notice that there are other patients who are experiencing the same symptoms.

Mohammed shared data from the COVID-19 study, which surveyed more than 4,000 patients in three countries, and although this study has not yet been peer-reviewed, a large amount showing some trends related to LongCOVID. I emphasized that it contains the data of. He added that as the data grows, it will be possible to identify groups of patients at risk.

According to the data presented, those who report 5 or more symptoms during the week of onset are more likely to develop Long COVID.

In addition, 13.3% of the sample population showed symptoms lasting 28 days or longer, 4.5% showed symptoms longer than 8 weeks, and 2.3% showed symptoms longer than 12 weeks.

Mohammed said older people were at increased risk of long COVID, with the group over 70 years accounting for 21.9% of the patients tested, while the group aged 18-49 had a significant finding of 10%. It was.

Women (14.9%) were also more sensitive than men (9.5%), but this was not the case for the elderly group, as Long COVID affected all socio-economic groups.

“Asthma is the only pre-existing condition associated with long COVID, and individuals with long COVID were likely to require a hospital assessment.

“Therefore, it is important to note that cases of Long COVID can occur in previously healthy young individuals who were not hospitalized. It is an illness in the elderly. The general perception that is is unrealistic, and young people can certainly continue to experience long COVID, “Mohammed said.

In addition to the many health effects of Long COVID, she said that some patients also have psychological, social, financial and financial burdens.

“Some patients may not be able to work after being infected with COVID-19 and may have very difficulty returning to work. Some patients may have difficulty returning to normal routine function after infection. is.”

However, she noted that post-viral complications are not new, and that Zika-related neurological complications and the long-term effects experienced by people suffering from the chikungunya virus.

“Therefore, the concept of long-term symptoms or complications of viral infection should be widely accepted. Also, COVID-19 is caused by another virus, the coronavirus, but the long-term health of COVID-19 infection. It is important to be aware of the impact on. “

Mohammed said this is especially important for those who believe that if they are infected with COVID-19, they will only recover and are less likely to die, especially for young people without existing medical conditions. I did.

“This may be true, but I would like to emphasize that it is certainly possible for this group to experience the long-term COVID and long-term health effects of COVID-19 infection.”

She said that in managing Long COVID, education is key to both patients and medical professionals who care for patients in terms of services that patients can use to evaluate and manage this difficult patient group. He said he would benefit from the approach.

Mohammed said in the realization of a holistic approach, two executive wellness centers at Arima General Hospital and Cuba Hospital and a multi-training facility were conceptualized to care for patients infected with COVID-19. ..

“These clinics are specialized clinics and use an interdisciplinary team approach, which is the standard treatment for the management of these patients.

“Therefore, given the large number of symptoms of long-term COVID and the long-term health effects of COVID-19 infection, many patients may experience COVID-19 complications. What is this in the future? It will have a significant impact on our healthcare system over the years.

“So it is very important for us people to follow all the public health guidelines that are constantly advised by the Ministry of Health. The only way to prevent long COVID is to prevent COVID-19 infection,” Mohammed said. Told.