Areyou a Covid-19 survivor, but still feel fatigued and not having fullyrecovered? You may be experiencing what is known as "Long Covid". Thesymptoms may not be life-threatening, but can persist for months and impactdaily life, experts say.
Whilemost patients who were affected with SARS-CoV -- the virus behind the deadlycoronavirus -- and recovered, may do fine, but some are likely to facesymptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, "brain fog," sleepdisorders, fevers, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and depression, accordingto the US National Institutes of Health.
"Patientspost Covid on the recovery stage can have multiple symptoms which includesweakness, myalgia, joint pain, breathlessness, cough, headache, and anxiety.Some of these symptoms are due to persistent respiratory dysfunction during therecovery phase of Covid infection and breathlessness is due to residual lungdamage," Dr Praveen Gupta, Director and Head, Neurology, Fortis MemorialResearch Institute, Gurugram, said.
Forthose past the middle age, the condition seems to be more critical.
"Covidsurvivors, especially after middle age, develop breathlessness and easy fatigueon exertion. Lung functions are compromised. Some would always continue to havereduced lung function in the form of breathlessness on exertion as fibrosis isseen following Covid. The degree of fibrosis in each case will decide thesequelae," said Dr Ravindra Gupta, Sr Consultant, Internal Medicine atColumbia Asia Hospital, Gurugram.
Thesymptoms per se are not life-threatening once you recover from the disease, butcan affect quality of life, the health experts said, adding however, it isstill too early to say how long the post-Covid symptoms could continue.
Accordingto a large global study of the emerging "Long Covid syndrome", reportedin January, nearly half of more than 3,700 self-described Covid "LongHaulers" in 56 countries could not work full time six months afterunexpectedly developing prolonged symptoms of Covid-19.
Anotherstudy led by University of Washington in the US, reported in February thatabout one in three patients who survived Covid, continue to complain monthslater of symptoms like fatigue, loss of smell or taste and brain fog.
InApril first week, about 1.1 million Britons reported having long Covidsymptoms, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.
"Thesesymptoms are usually short-lasting and resolve with appropriate medication in afew months. These symptoms are not life-threatening," Gupta said.
Thecondition may not be widespread in India.
"Majorityof Covid infections are self-limiting and do not have any long termconsequences. In a few cases, anosmia and malaise remains and might persist forlong duration. But no major post-Covid complications are reported," DrHarshal R. Salve, Associate Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine,AIIMS, New Delhi, said.
"Majorstudies are undergoing to assess long-term impacts of Covid and the vaccinesagainst it," he added.