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The president of the Lithuanian Association of General Practitioners, Prof. habil. Dr. According to Julius Kalibat, while the onset of the coronavirus pandemic initially focused on lung tissue damage, then inexorably increasing the number of deaths from the virus, extensive research soon showed that this insidious infection could affect almost all the vital organs of the human body.
“Recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human health, and mental health in particular, has been actively investigated. Family physicians have already noticed a massive increase in the number of patients whose various complaints could be described as an “anxiety pandemic,” he noted.
According to the professor, many have become anxious to know if any symptom that has occurred, or even the slightest ailment, is not a symptom of the onset of the disease.
“Some people are scared by both sleep disturbances and lack of appetite, as well as back pain, which, for example, could easily be explained by sitting in front of a television and the like.
But the eyes of fear are always great, and this is well understood when the number of deaths from COVID-19 grows catastrophically every day, ”said Kalibat.
The scale of depression is growing
The professor said research by American and British researchers showed that symptoms of depression were diagnosed in 10 percent of cases before a coronavirus pandemic. population, this pandemic year this figure has increased to 20 percent.
“It is also interesting that the pandemic doubled the number of cases of depression, even among students. Yes, a survey of 35,000 students at US universities found symptoms of anxiety in 26 percent and depression in 15 percent. Depression was found in up to 49% of homosexuals. cases ”, said the specialist.
Mental disorders in the progress of the disease.
The president of the Association of General Practitioners also noted that some people with coronavirus are also diagnosed with mental disorders.
“Research by Oxford researchers has shown that in a pandemic, up to 13 percent individuals with mild forms of depression progressed to severe. A significant proportion of patients treated in hospitals for coronavirus infection have a higher or lower degree of depression. mental disability.
Up to a third of hospitalized people with no prior mental illness experience mental disorders ranging from the mildest forms to total lack of concentration, impaired cognitive function, narrowing of the circle of interest, unmotivated sadness and photophobic-like, expressive ones, he said.
According to Kalibat, brain dysfunction in fighting infection is believed to be caused by persistent lack of oxygen, when the virus damages lung tissue (alveoli), resulting in poor oxygen saturation in the blood, although It is known that clotting disorders occur in coronavirus infection. causing vascular micro or macro thrombosis, which also complicates the entry of oxygen to the brain.
He added that the possibility that the virus could directly damage brain tissue is not ruled out.
What symptoms indicate a poor prognosis?
Among other things, the professor recalled the characteristic symptoms of a bad outcome of the disease.
“As for whether some of the symptoms of a coronavirus infection may be relevant to the prognosis of the outcome of the disease, a drop in body temperature (
This is a poor prognostic symptom that is correlated with a statistically increased mortality compared to groups of patients with higher temperatures. Poor prognostic symptom and the so-called cytokine storms (interferons, interleukins, etc.), which indicate the hyperactivity of the immune system, initiating autoimmune reactions.
The drugs used in those cases that suppress our immune system block the production of antibodies, which at first glance seems absurd because we suppress the immune system that fights the virus. Unfortunately, triggered autoimmune processes often cause more damage than a virus, so in such emergencies, the lesser of two evils is chosen, ”explained J. Kalibatas.
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