Japanese doctors warn of long-term side effects of COVID-19 among young people

Doctors are warning that many people who contract the coronavirus, especially younger patients, are experiencing side effects for a long period of time, although they subsequently show negative results for the virus.

“Most of them are in their 40s or younger. The government needs to take the matter seriously and implement countermeasures, ”said one of the doctors.

Side effects include malaise and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, patients were confined to bed, although they were diagnosed with a mild case of COVID-19 caused by the virus.

So far in Japan, there are not many medical institutions that treat patients who suffer from these lasting effects.

Kaai Akimoto, 30, president of a nursing care company, was diagnosed with the virus in November and her taste buds had not returned in January. “I wonder how long it will last,” she said.

She sought the advice of an otolaryngologist who told her that nothing could be done. Another doctor prescribed his traditional Kampō herbal medicine, but her condition has not improved.

Recently, she has been having difficulty eating because hot food smells strange to her.

Akimoto has been sharing his experience on Twitter. “There is little information and a lot of people are afraid. I hope to help people to deepen their understanding. “

Studies on the lasting effects of coronavirus infections are underway in some countries, such as Italy and the United States.

In Japan, the National Center for Global Health and Medicine conducted a telephone survey last year of patients with coronavirus discharged from hospitals. They collected responses from 63 individuals.

The research found that, in some cases, people continued to experience difficulty breathing, malaise and olfactory disturbances (reduced ability to smell) four months after they started showing symptoms of COVID-19.

There have also been cases where patients experienced hair loss several months after contracting the disease, the center said.

No treatment has been established for the long-term effects of COVID-19, said Hiroshi Odaguchi, general director of the Oriental Medicine Research Center at Kitasato University. “I believe that doctors are struggling to respond.”

The Hirahata Clinic, which examined about 700 of these patients across the country, said 95% complained of malaise, while more than 80% experienced a depressed mood and reduced reasoning ability.

About 30% of patients were in their 40s, while almost 50% were between teenagers and 30, the clinic said. The number of women among all patients was 1.4 times greater than that of men.

Koichi Hirahata, head of the clinic, suspects that a “cytokine storm”, a severe autoimmune response in which a patient’s immune system attacks healthy organs, may be one of the causes of long-term side effects.

He also suspects that women are more likely to experience side effects than men, as they report autoimmune diseases more often.

It is important that people who have recovered from COVID-19 avoid exercising for a while, said Hirahata, warning that just taking a walk could make their condition worse.

“In one case, a patient was bedridden after exercising hard and was released from work,” he said. “I want the government to take the problem seriously, taking steps like informing the public about the issue, so that patients who suffer side effects do not face disadvantages.”