Post COVID-19 complications : Second wave observes a surge

Post- Covid health complications have been rising across the nation. Those who have recovered from the disease are enduring complications and unable to get medication due to the lack of post-COVID-19 care centers in government-run hospitals.

Amidst the second surge bringing anxiety all over the nation, reports of health dilemmas among cured patients are also increasing. Physical and psychological indications appear to be more obvious among the aged and those with vital lifestyle ailments. Health problems that last for four weeks or more after testing negative are identified as ‘post-Covid health problems. These traits may be risky even in those people who were symptomatic.

Long Covid; The symptoms that continue several months after a person has contracted Covid are related to a long-Covid syndrome. The current signs include severe physical fatigue and tiredness, trouble in thinking and concentrating intractable headache, impotence to identify taste and smell, giddiness while standing or walking, chest discomfort and palpitation, heartburn and regurgitation, breathlessness, sharp pain in muscles and joints, recurrent fever, sadness, and extreme anxiety, and chronic cough. Most of these signs worsen with physical or mental stress.

Post-Covid mental stress; A recent analysis article declared in the globally famous medical journal “Lancet”, says that 34 percent of the people who recovered from Covid suffer from psychological diseases assuring clinical attention in the next six months. Of this, 17 percent reports anxiety ailments, 15 percent mood complications like depression, 7 percent are in crisis due to substance abuse disorders and 5 percent endure from chronic insomnia. Many of these people also show suicidal tendencies if the disease is not identified and administered quickly.

Psychosomatic disorders on the rise; A large percentage of people who have recovered from Covid also suffer from various psychosomatic disorders, which are essentially physical disorders worsened by stress. The commonest among them happens to be gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) characterized by acid reflux, heartburn, upper abdominal pain, and indigestion. Sometimes, these can progress to peptic ulcers in the stomach or intestine leading to difficulty in eating and consequent weight loss.

Some of the recovered patients had diabetes mellitus and a handful had increased blood pressure. Many people who had pre-existing diabetes and hypertension while contracting Covid found their condition has worsened post-recovery. A large number of recovered persons, especially the elderly, had severe bone and joint pain incapacitating them from pursuing their day-to-day activities.

Covid is a systemic illness that affects all internal organs. It can cause blood clotting in vessels, leading to heart attack or even stroke. The Lancet study shows that 2.1 percent of recovered persons had an ischaemic stroke due to blood clots in cerebral blood vessels while 0.6 percent had bleeding in the brain and another 0.7 percent had cognitive dysfunction similar to dementia. There have been many reports of recovered patients suddenly falling and dying.

Solution; Proceed to relax for a few days after recovery and observe lifestyle alterations proposed by health professionals meticulously. This will help boost health and effectively return to the natural spectrum of activities at the earliest. Some general directions to be observed during this stage include,

• Drink plenty of warm water, rather than a glass per hour to prevent dehydration.
• Eat only hot food and fluids.
• Avoid old and refrigerated food substances including ice cream and soft drinks.
• Ensure at least 8 hours of sleep daily. Follow sleep hygiene techniques to assure it.
• Practice relaxation activities like deep breathing in the morning and night to lessen stress and keep the mind calm.
• Avoid vigorous physical and mental activities for a few days.
• Expose yourself to sunlight for half an hour in the morning and evening to guarantee sufficient Vitamin D in the body, which apart from strengthening bones and muscles, will also boost your immunity.
• Start practicing mild physical exercises as per the guidance of the doctor.
• If you feel seriously stressed, depressed, or sleep-deprived for several days or feel suicidal, get the advice of mental health professional.
• Connect with friends and relatives over the phone or social media and exchange happy thoughts and ideas with them.
• Avoid fake news and reports on Covid. This will feed your anxiety and worsen your mental health
• Spend at least an hour daily on your hobbies. Keep the mind active and positive

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” Apart from Mucormycosis (black fungus), there has been an increasing number of cases of lung fungal infections and bacterial infections, as compared to the first wave. 80 percent of the recent medications have been for post-COVID cases”, Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant of Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo hospital, mentioned. These post-COVID health difficulties have appeared to be named as “long COVID” or “long-haul COVID”, affecting lungs, kidneys, heart, and cases of black fungal infection. While the number of black fungal cases is increasing, fresh cases of white fungus and yellow fungus have also been notified in several parts of the country.

“Several people developed diabetes after recovery,” said Sunil Kota, a doctor. Subash Sahu, another private doctor, said the state government should start dedicated post-COVID-19 care centers in each district in government hospitals. Jharkhand and Karnataka have fixed up such facilities. A health department official said they have directed the medical college officials to treat people grieving from post-COVID-19 complications. “They have been referred to the department, according to their symptoms,” he said.