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Covid-19 May Make You Prone to Other Illnesses

 

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19 infection in humans is thought to be primarily a respiratory virus. However, it is seen to affect many other organs besides the lungs.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has a spike protein that attaches itself to ACE-2 receptors in the human body. ACE-2 receptors are plentiful in the human body. They are primarily found in the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and the gastrointestinal tract.

So it is very likely that apart from the lungs any other organ that has the ACE-2 receptors can be infected and damaged by the virus.

Though the disease causes mild symptoms in most of the affected individuals, some go on to have long-term side effects from the illness - the 'long haulers.'

From patients who have recovered from Covid we are learning of disease sequelae that go much beyond the lungs. 

The BMJ (British Medical Journal, April 2021) published a research paper with the following objective- 

"To evaluate the excess risk and relative hazards for developing incident clinical sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults aged 18-65."

The purpose was to identify new diseases that a person contracted after getting infected with Covid-19.

Data from more than 200,000 Covid patients was collected. 

The results were startling.

There were two main findings

I. Diseases seen post-Covid

  • Lungs- Chronic Respiratory failure
  • Cardiovascular system- - cardiac arrhythmias, myocarditis, hypercoagulability
  • Neurological- encephalopathy, peripheral neuropathy, amnesia (loss of memory), anxiety
  •  Liver- Liver test abnormalities
  • Diabetes
  • Fatigue

II Older versus Younger persons

Although older patients (as well as those with co-morbidities) and those who were hospitalized were at greater risk of developing these complications, younger persons (less than 50 years old) also had an increased chance of developing new diseases.

This has some serious implications

1. in view of the emerging data of post-Covid sequelae our best option is to follow all safety protocols and keep the infection away at all cost

2.  Patients who are recovering must follow a healthy lifestyle, eat fresh and healthy food, follow a regular (gradually improving) fitness regime

3. Recovered patients may need follow-up visits to check for sequelae - particularly for the cardiovascular system.

4. Taking care of your mental health post-Covid is equally important and we must engage in some mental activity as well as keep a positive attitude.

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