Covid-19 has left many patients debilitated, with a variety of symptoms months after the initial infection died, and raises concerns about the long-term health costs of the epidemic.
According to a new review of the disease conducted by the UK National Institutes of Health, patients infected with the first wave of the virus have suffered from disorders of the brain, lungs, heart, intestines, liver, skin and other parts of the body. Research.
Some of the symptoms of long covid, such as this condition is often known, can be severely debilitating, such as “brain fog” and extreme fatigue. Other consequences are mild, such as hair loss and inability to taste or smell.
The NIHR report states, “A common theme is that symptoms occur in one physiological system, then they occur in different systems.” The purpose of the review is to raise awareness of the condition among health workers, while little is known today about the prevalence of Long Covid or its causes as it stimulates further research.
4M regular contributing data from King’s College Lodge London’s Covid Symptom Study app suggests that as much as 20% of infections lead to complications lasting more than a month Get Oli Scarf / AFP by Getty
A study in Italy found that 87 per cent of people discharged from a hospital in Rome were experiencing at least one symptom two months after the onset of Covid-1. At least 55 percent had three or more symptoms that included fatigue, difficulty breathing, and joint and chest pain.
Public Health England said last month that about 10 per cent of people with ‘mild’ covid-19 cases who had not been hospitalized had reported symptoms for more than four weeks. In a separate study from King’s College Ledge London, using 4m regular contributing data from its covid trait study application, it has been suggested that between 10 and 20 per cent of infections have complications lasting more than a month.
If about 10 per cent of people with confirmed covid-19 suffer from long covid, that would mean more than 3.8 million people worldwide and more than 65,000 patients in the UK. But NIHR researchers said it was too early to give a reliable estimate of the prevalence.
“The overwhelming message is that this is not a linear position,” said Elaine Maxwell, lead author of the NIHR report. “Many [patients] Endure a roller coaster of symptoms circulating in the body, from which they do not recover. “
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According to Philip Pearson, a respiratory therapist at Northampton General Hospital and a member of the NIHR study group, there are some similarities between the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1930s and 1980s. “As we better understand HIV infection, we learned about the various possible manifestations of the disease,” he said. “Right now, as we try to determine our conditions, it seems that HIV research It was like. “
The wide and fluctuating symptoms of the long covid indicate that it was the result of many overlapping, but various syndromes, including postviral fatigue and permanent limb damage.
“It looks as if this coronavirus behaves quite differently to other viral infections like the flu,” added Dr. Pearson.
Despite all the uncertainties, the NIHR authors vowed to agree on the functional definition of long covid as soon as possible. “The absence of a definition can affect the ability to properly recognize patients’ symptoms and experiences and seek treatment through healthcare services, which in turn can have a greater psychological impact, especially for non-hospitalized patients whose formal formal diagnosis was never made. “
In response to growing concerns about Long Covid, the UK’s NHSA last week committed 10 10 million to establish a regional network of Long Covid clinics to assess patients’ physical, cognitive and mental condition, and, if appropriate, refer them for specialist treatment.
