People affected by the COVID-19 virus have a good chance of developing what is called long-term COVID complications.
Speaking on the Ministry of Health’s virtual update of COVID-19 on Wednesday, Dr. Sana Mohammed, COVID-19 Consultant at Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Center, said it has become increasingly clear that for some patients there are continuous effects of the covid-19 virus.
Mohammed said Long COVID refers to the signs and symptoms that occur during or after COVID-19 infection, which persist for more than four weeks and are not explained by another medical condition.
She noted that the symptoms of long COVID are very variable, with the most reported fatigue, deep fatigue and shortness of breath.
Among the symptoms associated with Long COVID are respiratory, dermatological, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, psychological / psychiatric, generalized, as well as symptoms of ear, nose and throat.
“Many patients express the increasing and decreasing nature of the disease, in which you feel as if a minute has recovered, but then it hits you back. One patient described this as a constant cycle of disappointment, not just for you, but for those around you who really want you to recover.
She said that patients can sometimes feel isolated and that they are the only ones who experience continuous symptoms after COVID-19 infection. But as they progress on their journey, they begin to realize that other patients have the same symptoms.
Sharing data from a COVID-19 study that surveyed more than 4,000 patients in three different countries, Mohammed emphasized that, although the study has not yet been peer-reviewed, it does contain a large body of data that has shown some trends regarding the Long COVID, and added that as the data grows, they will be able to identify groups of patients at risk.
According to the data presented, people who report more than five symptoms in the week of onset increase their chances of developing COVID Longo.
In addition, 13.3% of the sample population had symptoms for more than 28 days, while 4.5% had symptoms for a period of eight weeks or more, and 2.3% had symptoms for more than 12 weeks.
Mohammed noted that, although the elderly population has a higher risk of contracting Long COVID, with the age group over 70 representing 21.9% of the patients tested, there was a significant finding of 10% in the age group 18 to 49 years.
And although women (14.9%) were more susceptible than men (9.5%), this did not apply to older age groups, as Long COVID affected all socioeconomic groups.
“Asthma was the only pre-existing condition associated with long COVID and individuals with long COVID were more likely to need hospital assessments.
“Therefore, what is important to note is that cases of COVID Longo can occur in young individuals, previously well, who were not admitted to the hospital. The common perception that this is an elderly person’s disease is not realistic, and young people can certainly start experiencing Long COVID, ”said Mohammed.
She stated that, in addition to the numerous health consequences of Long COVID, there are also psychological, social, financial and economic burdens for some patients.
“Some patients may not be able to work and find it very difficult to return to work after infection with COVID-19. Some of our patients find it difficult to return to their normal day-to-day functions after infection. “
However, she noted that complications after virus infections are not new and referred to neurological complications associated with Zika, as well as the long-term effects experienced by people affected by the Chikungunya virus.
“Therefore, the concept of long-term symptoms or complications of viral infections must be widely accepted. And although COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus, which is a different virus, it is important that we recognize the long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection. ”
Mohammed said this is especially important for those who believe that if they hire COVID-19, they will simply recover and that their chances of dying are low, especially for those who are young without pre-existing medical conditions.
“And while that may be true, I want to emphasize that even in this group, it is certainly possible to experience long COVID and long-term health consequences of COVID-19 infection.”
She said that when administering Long COVID, patients benefit from a holistic approach in which education is the key for patients and healthcare professionals who care for patients in terms of what services are available for assessing and managing this challenging group. of patients.
Mohammed said that, in carrying out the holistic approach, two Executive Wellness Centers, located at Arima General Hospital and Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility, were designed to care for patients infected with COVID-19, some of whom have Long COVID.
“These clinics are specialized clinics and use a multidisciplinary team approach, which is the standard of care for the management of these patients.
“Therefore, given the multiplicity of symptoms of Long COVID and the long-term health consequences of COVID-19 infection, it is likely that a large number of patients will experience complications of COVID-19. This will have a significant impact on our health systems in the years to come.
“That is why it is extremely important for us population, to follow all public health guidelines constantly guided by the Ministry of Health. The only way to prevent Long COVID is to prevent the infection of COVID-19,” said Mohammed.