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Complications after suffering a coronavirus infection of varying severity occur in some patients. According to WHO, every tenth person after suffering the disease reports surviving symptoms.1. Other data provided by scientists from the USA speaks of more than 50 different types of complications after COVID-192.
Complications after coronavirus are as dangerous and serious as the infection itself. The health of those who have recovered from COVID-19 is unlikely to be the same. Moreover, based on the latest WHO data, even in those patients who had a mild infection.
Data from British scientists show that the primary symptoms of the disease can disappear and reappear within 30 days or more. And for some patients, COVID-19 is the beginning of a long struggle with post-COVID syndrome. As Science writes, “Coronavirus is doing things that no other infection known to date has ever done.”3. Although it is worth noting that other viruses behave aggressively and unpredictably. For example, the Ebola virus, found months later in surviving patients in the eye fluid, causes blindness in 40% of cases.
The exact causes of complications after coronavirus infection are still unknown. Research is ongoing and there is not enough data to draw firm conclusions.
COVID-19 was originally thought to be a respiratory infection, like bird flu. However, it turned out that the virus affects the functioning of the lungs, brain, nasopharynx, eyes, cardiovascular system, and digestive organs (liver, intestines). In fact, it affects the work of all vital organs.4.
Lungs
According to Wuhan University of Technology, 66 out of 70 recovered lung CT scans revealed visible lung damage. These changes are called pulmonary fibrosis and can lead to shortness of breath and there is no way to stop and reverse this process.
Fibrosis may stabilize, but the changes do not go away completely. Some scientists point out that the recovery process could take up to 15 years, though more research is needed to make a definitive statement. Unfortunately, cases of progressive fibrosis have been reported, and this condition is dangerous to health and life.
Shortness of breath after infection is recorded in 31,7% of patients5. At the same time, the frequency and depth of breathing changes, which is explained by the lack of oxygen. Symptoms persist for several months.
In 13-15% of those who have been ill, a chronic cough develops, which persists for 3-4 months, but does not require medical treatment. In this case, the cough is dry, but clots of mucus may appear.
Heart and blood vessels
It became known that patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as kidney and blood, as a rule, are more prone to coronavirus, as well as its complications. Therefore, it is not always possible to determine whether such changes have already occurred or whether they were provoked by a virus.6.
But when the symptoms of infection appear, the functions of the organs are disturbed. According to some data, damage to the heart muscle is recorded in 20% of the 500 examined in the Wuhan hospital. In intensive care units, arrhythmia was noted in almost half of the 36 patients who took part in the study. Such changes can be explained by a cytokine storm – a protective reaction of the body, which, if it can become dangerous for human health, if it gets out of control.
Coronavirus is one of the causes of viral myocarditis, which leads to arrhythmia, disrupts blood circulation and causes shortness of breath.
Changes can also be traced in the blood – in 38% of the examined patients, increased blood clotting is noted, and blood clots are found in a third of this number.
Even after recovery, patients remain at high risk of strokes and heart attacks.7.
Nervous system
A third of patients had neurological symptoms, including dizziness, headache, and cognitive impairment.8. Some patients report chronic headaches.
The reasons for the appearance of such complications after coronavirus are not yet known exactly. The main theories boil down to the negative effects of the virus on neurons in the brain.
Possible complications from the nervous system include loss of tastes and smells, as well as their perversion.9. Statistics show that these symptoms disappear over time, but may persist, especially when it comes to cognitive impairment.10. Their recovery strongly depends on age, lifestyle characteristics, as well as the severity of the course of the disease, etc.
Kidneys
27% of patients admitted to Wuhan hospitals had kidney problems. 59% (out of 200 cases in Hubei and Sichuan provinces) had a protein in their urine that indicates infection. Some patients have blood in their urine, indicating severe kidney damage. It is noted that in patients with acute chronic insufficiency, the risk of death was five times higher.
Based on this, doctors recommend taking a urine test and performing an ultrasound of the kidneys, even in the absence of alarming symptoms. The fact is that in many cases, the symptoms of kidney disease may not appear, which hinders timely diagnosis.11.
Liver
Liver tissues contain receptors that are sensitive to COVID-19 proteins during infection. Liver damage and dysfunction were recorded in 50% of patients. Complicates the situation already existing liver disease.
After recovery, recovered patients are recommended to undergo an additional examination to identify possible complications after coronavirus.
It is recommended to carry out:
- CT scan of the lungs;
- ECG;
- tests to assess the elasticity of lung tissues;
- general and biochemical analysis of blood and urine.
These examinations and tests after coronavirus help to assess the functioning of the body, identify changes and complications in the early stages, and also draw up a plan for further treatment.
First, take your doctor’s advice seriously. Secondly, strictly observe all its instructions, which usually include the following points.
- Breathing exercises
Moreover, it must be performed for several months, even in the absence of symptoms of complications and normal breathing.
- Exercise therapy
All exercises should be aimed at strengthening the muscles of the back, chest, shoulder girdle, as well as those muscles that are involved in the act of breathing.
- Rejection of bad habits.
The highest percentage of complications is associated with the respiratory system, and smoking is an additional aggravating factor. Alcohol abuse increases the likelihood of blood clots, which can cause complications – heart attacks and strokes.
- Proper nutrition.
Products are a natural source of vitamins, minerals that will help the body recover faster from an infection. Nutritional advice can be obtained from your doctor.
- Healthy lifestyle.
Walking in the fresh air is useful, and the pace and distance should be increased gradually.
Popular questions and answers
There are many studies devoted to the topic of complications after coronavirus, data are collected from all over the world. Each clinical case is evaluated, its features. Despite this, much is still unknown, and it is difficult to say about the most remote consequences of infection.
The most exciting questions, including how to avoid complications of coronavirus, will be answered Natalia Karaseva, chief physician of the network of clinics, therapist, rheumatologist.
As a rule, elderly people with the presence of concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory systems have a higher risk of complications than others. But there are statistics on the presence of complications at a young age, associated with untimely treatment.
Methods such as physiotherapy, breathing exercises, supportive pharmacotherapy, etc. are also used.
Sources:
- New policy brief calls on decision-makers to support patients as 1 in 10 report symptoms of «long COVID». WHO. February, 2021
https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/news/news/2021/2/new-policy-brief-calls-on-decision-makers-to-support-patients-as-1-in-10-report-symptoms-of-long-covid#:~:text=Known%20manifestations%20of%20post-,%2C%20lungs%20and%20brai
- Sandra Lopez-Leon, Talia Wegman-Ostrosky, Carol Perelman, Rosalinda Sepulveda, Paulina A Rebolledo, Angelica Cuapio, Sonia Villapol. More than 50 Long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medrxiv. January, 2021.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.27.21250617v2
- Kelly Servick, Adrian Cho, Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, Giorgia Guglielmi. Coronavirus disruptions reverberate through research. Science. Mar, 2020. 367 (6484).
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.367.6484.1289
- Dana Elin, Eitan Wirtheim, Pavel Vetter. Long-term consequences of COVID-19: research needs. Lancet Infect Dis. Oct, 2020. 20 (10) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7462626/
- Thomas Sonnweber, Sabina Sahanic, Alex Pizzini, Anna Luger. Cardiopulmonary recovery after COVID-19: an observational prospective multicentre trial. Eur Respir J. Apr, 2021. 57(4) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33303539/
- Mohammad Madjid, Payam Safavi-Naeini, Scott D Solomon, Orly Vardeny. Potential Effects of Coronaviruses on the Cardiovascular System: A Review. JAMA Cardiol. Jul, 2020. 5(7) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32219363/
- Manish Bansal. Cardiovascular disease and COVID-19. Diabetic Metabolic Syndrome. May-June, 2020. 14 (3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32247212/
- F J Carod-Artal. Neurological complications of coronavirus and COVID-19. Rev Neurol. May, 2020. 70(9) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32329044/
- Younghyun Lee, Pocky Min, Songgu Lee, Shin Wu Kim. Prevalence and Duration of Acute Loss of Smell or Taste in COVID-19 Patients. J Korean Med Sci. May, 2020. 35 (18)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32383370/
- Benjamin C Mcloughlin, Amy Miles, Thomas E Webb, Paul Knopp, Clodagh Eyres, Ambra Fabbri, Fiona Humphries, Daniel Davis. Functional and cognitive outcomes after COVID-19 delirium. Your Geriatr Med. Oct, 2020. 11(5)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32666303/
- Yichun Cheng, Ran Luo, Kun Wang, Meng Zhang, Zhixiang Wang, Lei Dong, Junhua Li, Ying Yao, Shuwang Ge, Gang Xu. Kidney disease is associated with in-hospital death of patients with COVID-19. Kidney Int. May , 2020. 97(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32247631/