A BAHRAIN medic has described Covid-19 as a bizarre disease with debilitating long-term symptoms, post recovery.

According to Bahrain Specialist Hospital (BSH) pulmonologist and specialist Dr Jakeer Hussain Shaik, a lot remains to be known and understood about Covid-19.

“When symptoms persist beyond three weeks of illness, they are termed as Post Covid-19 Syndrome or Long Covid-19 Syndrome and this condition lasts for one to six months with almost all organ systems affected,” he said.

“Cardiac complications include irregular fast heart rate, palpitations, decreased heart functions, and abnormal cholesterol with Post Covid-19 hyper coagulable state leading to new heart attacks, with many patients requiring long-term blood thinners.

“Neurological side-effects include headaches, memory problems and psychiatric illness along with sleep and seizure disorders.”

Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are part of psychiatric illnesses.

Dr Shaik said pulmonology complications were most common in Long Covid-19 syndrome sufferers, depending on the severity of pneumonia during acute infection.

“Pulmonary complications are prolonged cough, breathlessness, worsening of asthma, COPD and ILD exacerbations requiring hospitalisation, super added lung infections and reactivation of diseases such as tuberculosis, fungal pneumonias, pulmonary embolisms and lung scarring.

“Breathlessness is the most common and it depends on how bad the lungs are impacted during the illness. It can worsen on minimal physical exertion and for those with pre-existing lung diseases such as asthma.

“Chronic cough is very common post Covid-19 and its severity is directly proportional to the extent of lung involvement and may last for weeks to months.

“Lung scarring will resolve over months in a few patients with newer anti-fibrotic, but a few non-responders will have long standing impact with worsening lung functions.

“They require serial monitoring of high resolution CT scans of the chest and pulmonary function testing.”

He also revealed that secondary lung infections like bacterial pneumonias, fungal pneumonias, reactivation of tuberculosis in endemic countries are common post Covid-19.

These can be prevented by flu shots, pneumococcal vaccination and avoiding crowded places, he said.

According to studies in Italy, the incidence of Post Covid-19 Syndrome is 50 per cent with it more common among the elderly and patients with severe Covid-19.

“Endocrinological complications include uncontrolled sugars to frequent low sugars, new onset of diabetes, worsening of thyroid function, weight loss and sexual problems.

“Meanwhile, gastrointestinal problems include abdomen pain, diarrhoea, and pancreatitis while musculoskeletal complications include joint pain, muscle weakness, worsening of auto-immune diseases and crippling fatigue.

“Hypercoagulable state which persists for months post Covid-19 has a lot of complications like blood clots in pulmonary blood vessels causing an embolism with a sudden onset of breathlessness and increased heart rate which is a medical emergency with life threatening complications.

“The Post Covid-19 infection increases incidence of clots in blood vessels leading to heart and brain strokes. So depending on risk factors some studies suggest long-term blood thinners in most recovering patients.”

BSH is offering a special package which covers Post Covid-19 screening with a pulmonologist and a cardiologist.

SOURCE: GDNONLINE