Long Covid: What You Know Ever | Coronavirus Outbreak

AWhen the pandemic began, Covid-19 was said to be a respiratory illness and most people would recover within a few weeks, but tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, It is becoming increasingly clear that there may be. Symptoms remain a few months after the infection.

Currently the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Report released This suggests that “long covid” is not a single syndrome, but up to four different syndromes, which some patients may be experiencing at the same time. This is what we know now:

Various symptoms

The persistent Covid subtype identified by NIHR included patients experiencing the sequelae of intensive care. People who are tired after a viral infection; people who have prolonged organ damage; people who have fluctuating symptoms and move around the body.

“The term long Covid is used as a catch-all for multiple syndromes, and in some cases up to four syndromes, and the indistinguishability of these syndromes explains the challenges people believe in accessing services. Dr. Elaine Maxwell, the lead author of the report, said she used the patient’s experience and the latest published studies, but an immunological scientist at Imperial College London. Professor Danny Altman warned that narrowing down long Covids into four syndromes might be too simple.

Recovery from ICU

Discharge is often Long recovery process.. Many Covid-19 patients who survive for a period of time in the intensive care unit are too weak to sit unassisted or lift their arms out of bed, and may even have difficulty speaking or even swallowing. They can also be affected by depression and post-traumatic stress disorders. However, severe and persistent symptoms were not limited to this group.

Post-virus fatigue

Many Covid “long-haul carriers” report fatigue, muscle aches, and poor concentration.To the extent that this overlaps Chronic Malaise syndrome under investigation. CFS was previously associated with Epstein-Barr virus and Q fever infection.Research of people Infected during the 2003 SARS epidemic It also shows that while the lungs look healthy, about one-third have become less tolerant to exercise for months.

Permanent organ damage

Ongoing shortness of breath, cough, or racing pulse can be a symptom of persistent damage to the lungs or heart, but this is not always permanent. Lung damage appears to be particularly prevalent among patients requiring hospital treatment at Covid-19. A Recent research It was found that about half of the patients were still short of breath 6 weeks after discharge, dropping to 39% in 12 weeks. On the other hand, about one-third of hospitalized patients have heart damage, but patients with seemingly mild infections can also be affected.

Another study of 100 patients who showed relatively mild symptoms when infected in March found that 78 showed abnormalities. Structural changes in their minds With an MRI scan. These changes do not necessarily cause symptoms and can disappear over time. Ongoing problems with the liver and skin have also been reported.

Symptoms of moving around the body

Perhaps the strangest group of Covid long-haul carriers is the symptom-varying group. A common theme is that symptoms occur in one physiological system and then alleviate. Only if the symptom occurs on another system. this is, Long survey Members of the Covid Support Group It was found that 70% experienced fluctuations in symptom type and 89% experienced fluctuations in symptom intensity. The underlying mechanism remains unproven, but such symptoms may be compatible with the destruction of the immune system, Altman said.

All ages affected

According to estimates 10% of Covid patients They experience symptoms that last for more than 3 weeks, and 1 in 50 people still get sick in 3 months. Persistent symptoms were observed in all age groups, including children, according to the NIHR report, but unpublished results from the Covid Symptom Study suggest that women and the elderly may be at increased risk. doing. “Beyond the age of 18, the risk of having symptoms for more than a month generally seems to increase with age,” said Tim Specter, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, who is conducting the study. Stated.

A particularly under-researched group is residents of elderly care facilities. Professor Karen Spielsbury, chair of nursing research at the University of Leeds, said:study Impact of Covid-19 on residents of nursing homes.. Although their physical fitness and stamina appeared to be suffering, Covid may have accelerated the rate of cognitive decline in people with dementia.