Huge scale of complications after COVID-19 in convalescents. Even in 60 percent.

Myocarditis, brain fog, but also insomnia, aggression and even psychosis – these are all long-term complications that can occur in people who have contracted COVID-19. The problems of convalescents also concern those who have had the disease mildly.

1. Scientists have long emphasized that COVID-19 can leave a mark on the human body
2. Healers can face the health consequences of contamination for months, and this one. Among the symptoms of long covid, there are also chronic diseases such as diabetes
3. Long covid it will be with us for many years, even in those patients who have had it mildly, says the national consultant in the field of public health, Prof. Jarosław Pinkas
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Myocarditis in up to 60 percent convalescents

– After COVID-19, many people, even with a mild form of the disease, may develop various types of complications. As much as 60 percent convalescents had signs of myocarditis, and 30 percent. – brain fog – warns Dr. Grażyna Cholewińska, MD. She adds that diabetes, mental disorders and acute dementia can also develop.

The specialist is the head and medical director at the Provincial Infectious Hospital in Warsaw, provincial consultant in the field of infectious diseases. During the conference “Virology 2022 – the latest reports”, she discussed complications that may arise after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They result, inter alia, from the fact that the ACE2 receptor, through which this pathogen enters the body, is present both in the cells of the respiratory system and in most other organs, such as the heart muscle.

«As the research of scientists from the University Hospital in Frankfurt has shown, as much as 60 percent. survivors had signs of myocarditis »- informed the provincial consultant in the field of infectious diseases. She explained that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, like other coronaviruses, is a cardiotropic pathogen, that is, it has affinities for heart muscle cells.

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The specialist mentioned that, apart from myocarditis, the most common cardiological complications after COVID-19 are: atrioventricular conduction and heart rhythm disturbances, onset or worsening of heart failure, acute coronary syndrome (i.e. myocardial infarction), inflammatory changes in the vessels, thromboembolic complications and blood pressure fluctuations (both high and low). Sudden cardiac arrest and death can occur as a result of cardiovascular complications after COVID-19.

She pointed out that problems with the heart and circulatory system appear already in the period of the occurrence of this disease. It attacks the lungs causing respiratory failure, but there is also cardiovascular failure. “There is a vicious cycle between respiratory failure and circulatory failure, which intensify each other,” she noted.

She added that patients who have had a heart attack or have severe heart valve defects are more likely to experience a more severe course of COVID-19 and its complications. «Such patients have exhausted the so-called compensatory mechanisms and are more prone to complications of hypoxemia, including distant complications »- she explained.

Brain fog after COVID-19

Another common complication of COVID-19 is called brain fog. The specialist explained that this is not a medical term, but only a colloquial term for ailments complained of by 30%. patients after this disease. The reasons for this have not yet been fully understood. “Probably there is microdamage to the brain tissue as a result of prolonged hypoxia,” she said. Oxygen therapy may also be a reason, as it may cause spasm of the cerebral vessels.

Symptoms of brain fog include confusion and difficulty in formulating thoughts, memory and concentration disorders, chronic fatigue, and chaotic and incoherent thought processes. “Such symptoms may persist for several weeks or even several months” – warned Dr. Grażyna Cholewińska.

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A new discovery about COVID-19. It’s about diabetes

A surprising new finding is that not only does diabetes increase the risk of severe COVID-19, it can also be a complication of the disease. It usually occurs in patients with the severe form of SARS-CoV-2 infection. According to a study cited by a specialist in the “New England Journal of Medicine” (NEJM), 20-30 percent. patients in intensive care units had previously suffered from diabetes mellitus, but there were also new cases of diabetes. In Poland, 25 percent suffer from diabetes. people over 60 years of age.

“Coronavirus also increases the risk of mental illness” – warned Dr. Grażyna Cholewińska. It is not just that many people, especially children and adolescents, have been adversely affected by isolation and lockdown in the pandemic. Anxiety and mood disorders as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can also be a direct effect of COVID-19.

This is indicated by research in the USA and Great Britain, as well as in Poland. According to American research, which covered 230 thousand. Patients after COVID-19 may develop 14 different mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders and stress resulting from ill health and hospitalization. Experts from the University of Oxford have shown that the consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be accelerated dementia, psychosis, insomnia and aggression. On the other hand, research conducted by psychologists at the University of Warsaw showed that after COVID-19 in 29 percent. women and 24 percent. men developed depression.

“The long covid will be with us for many years, even in those patients who have undergone it mildly” – said during the conference “Virology 2022 – the latest news” – national consultant in the field of public health prof. Jarosław Pinkas. (PAP)

author: Zbigniew Wojtasiński

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