Long COVID-19 Comprehensive Report: Is the probability of being diagnosed with "COVID-19 sequelae" high? Who are the prone groups? What can be done to relieve symptoms?
The number of confirmed cases of Omicron in Taiwan is increasing day by day. Although many people have been vaccinated and the authorities have decided to coexist with the virus, whether long-term complications will occur after diagnosis, commonly known as “long COVID-19”, is still the most worrying thing for the people. One of the issues. “Healthorn” hereby compiles relevant research and guidelines on COVID-19 to provide people with reference for pre-healing disease prevention, post-healing care, and medical treatment.
What are the common symptoms of COVID-19? The number of sick people in Taiwan may exceed 300,000?
What are the typical symptoms of COVID-19? According to NHS guidance, symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Extreme tiredness and fatigue
Breathlessness
Chest pain or tightness
Brain fog
Insomnia
Heart palpitations
Changes in smell and taste
Joint pain
Nausea and vomiting
Tinnitus.
The British National Health Service stated that COVID-19 may even affect the patient’s mental state, thereby increasing the risk of depression and anxiety. The NHS says most symptoms of COVID-19 will fully recover within 12 weeks, but for some people symptoms may last longer.
According to guidance issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), most people infected with COVID-19 will fully recover, but current evidence suggests that approximately 10%-20% of people will experience various medium to long-term symptoms after recovering from the initial illness. Influence. As of June 17, the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan was approximately 3,135,565. It is estimated that about 300,000 to 600,000 people may be at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
Are the groups prone to COVID-19? 4 types of people to pay attention to
David Strain, an infectious disease expert at the British National Health Service, said that based on the existing data, it can be known that four types of people are more likely to develop COVID-19 after being infected with the epidemic:
People with blood clots and capillary damage (such as cardiovascular disease)
People with congenital immune deficiencies (such as immunodeficiency syndrome)
People with neurological abnormalities
People with damaged metabolic system (such as diabetes, insulin resistance).
Strain pointed out that the new coronavirus may block microvessels and cause rapid damage to the “mitochondria” in cells in the body. This is why patients with COVID-19 are prone to burnout. Research published in the “Biochemical Journal” also revealed that tiny “clots” in the blood may cause long-term COVID-19 symptoms by preventing oxygen from being transported to body tissues. This means that people whose blood vessels in the body have poor oxygen transport function will have an increased chance of developing COVID-19.
Dr. Melissa Heightman, a medical expert at University College London, pointed out that persistent microvascular or endothelial cell disorders may exist in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. This disorder is more detrimental to the human body’s coagulation function. If people do not exercise enough, such as the elderly, sedentary office workers, obese people, or patients with chronic diseases, and are diagnosed with COVID-19 and suffer from COVID-19, the risk of abnormal coagulation function may increase and trigger Symptoms include bleeding gums, nosebleeds, skin bruising/purple spots, heavy bleeding during tooth extraction, etc.
What are the risks of COVID-19 for the elderly? Symptoms are twice as common as in young people
What are the risks of COVID-19 for the elderly? According to a study in the British Medical Journal, less than 3% of patients infected with the sequelae of COVID-19 need to be hospitalized. 90 days after the onset of infection, 14.8% of patients were still experiencing symptoms. According to statistics, 32% of elderly people in the United States who survived COVID-19 infection developed COVID-19 symptoms up to 4 months after infection - this rate is twice as high as that of 18-64 year olds (about 14%) . Other research suggests that COVID-19 symptoms may last for nearly a year.
Given that the elderly have a higher rate of symptoms after being infected with the new coronavirus, the possible reason is that the elderly have a higher incidence of chronic diseases and physical vulnerability. This has led to an increase in hospitalization and death rates among the elderly during the pandemic, which has virtually increased the medical workload. “On average, older adults are less resilient. They don’t recover from severe COVID-19 symptoms as well as younger people,” said Dr. Ken Cohen, author of the study and executive director of translational research at Optum Care.
Can children also suffer from COVID-19? The probability is lower than that of adults?
Will children infected with the epidemic suffer from “sequelae of COVID-19”? “Nature” pointed out that according to a previous study in Italy, more than 30% of children developed symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, and muscle pain four months after being infected with the epidemic, similar to adults infected with COVID-19. Research shows that even children with mild or no symptoms are not immune to these effects.
However, German pediatrician Jakob Armann pointed out through research that the chance of children suffering from COVID-19 may be lower than imagined. An experiment involving 1,500 people confirmed that the proportion of children who actually suffer from COVID-19 is only about 10%, and the real number is likely to be as low as 1%. Armann said that more research is needed to confirm the symptoms of COVID-19 in children and the course of the disease.
Are there any signs of being diagnosed with COVID-19? The prevalence of “5 symptoms” has more than tripled
Will you suffer from “long COVID-19” after being diagnosed? Is it possible that the “five symptoms” appear one week after being infected? Dr. Huang Xuan, an expert in critical care medicine, pointed out in a social post that “Nature” published a study stating that King’s College London analyzed COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Sweden and found that “five types of symptoms occurred in those infected with the epidemic within the first week of diagnosis.” If the symptoms are above, the risk of the disease developing into COVID-19 in the future will be 3.53 times higher than that of generally diagnosed people.
Dr. Huang Xuan said that the five common symptoms include headache, fatigue, hoarseness, muscle aches and difficulty breathing. It is worth mentioning that more elderly people over the age of 70 suffer from “loss of taste” symptoms than younger people. In addition, age and gender are also risk factors for developing COVID-19. The study pointed out that the probability of contracting COVID-19 for people aged 18-49 was 9.9%; for patients over 70 years old, it was 21.9%. Women’s chance of contracting COVID-19 is 14.9%; the risk is nearly 1.6 times higher than men’s 9.5%.
Can vaccination reduce the incidence of COVID-19? Research: The effect may be only 15%
As for whether vaccines can reduce the risk of “Long COVID”? The authoritative international journal “NATURE” reported that according to the latest survey and analysis of the health records of 13 million people, vaccination only reduces the chance of contracting COVID-19 by about 15%. This is the largest study on “long COVID-19” so far, but the results are still uncertain and differ from other similar research data.
“NATURE” special article analysis pointed out that long COVID-19 usually refers to symptoms that last for weeks or even months after being infected with the new coronavirus. However, because it is difficult to quantify and the definition of symptoms is inconsistent, it is quite difficult to even study the prevalence of “long COVID-19”. In order to study the proportion of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and whether breakthrough infection increases the risk, the team of Ziyad Al-Aly, a nephrologist at St. Louis Medical Center in Missouri, USA, analyzed the health insurance of US military veterans from January to December 2021. The database includes 34,000 cases of breakthrough infections in vaccinated people and 113,000 confirmed cases in unvaccinated people.
The study claims that vaccination only reduces the risk of COVID-19 by about 15%, and that in cases of breakthrough infection after vaccination, the mortality rate is reduced by about 34%. However, among cases of breakthrough infection after vaccination, the proportion of 47 sequelae and 24 risks of COVID-19 is indeed lower than that of those who have not been vaccinated.
How to seek medical treatment after being diagnosed with COVID-19?
As for recovered patients, how should they seek medical treatment if they contract COVID-19 after recovery? Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare recently launched the “Integrated Outpatient and Inpatient Medical Plan for Recovered COVID-19 Infection Patients”. For those who have recovered within 6 months after being released from isolation, if they have multiple COVID-19 post-infection syndrome syndromes, they need to be integrated Medical practitioners can first scan the QR Code to query the “Integrated Outpatient Hospital”. After being examined by the doctor in charge, “inter-disciplinary consultation” will be carried out according to the patient’s medical needs in each department. After receiving the integrated outpatient medical service, the patient only needs to pay one registration fee and one partial payment.
In addition, the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare also provides suggestions for individual ethnic groups:
Suggestions for those diagnosed with COVID-19: Please first understand your health status, moderately adjust to stress and recover yourself. If you need medical assistance, be sure to contact the relevant units.
Suggestions for caregivers of COVID-19: When facing a diagnosed patient, please listen with empathy and understand the patient’s needs through open dialogue. Confirm with the person diagnosed the support and assistance you can provide.
Suggestions for medical practitioners: The relevant symptoms of health care workers who have recovered from the epidemic should be fully understood, and individual assessment and examination should be given to their symptoms.
How to alleviate the symptoms of COVID-19? Doctors teach you how to use medicine and acupoints to relieve symptoms
What measures can be taken to relieve symptoms after suffering from COVID-19? Dr. Colin Qiaomei, a traditional medicine doctor at Yatong Memorial Hospital, reminds the public not to panic when faced with the sequelae of COVID-19. The discomfort caused by COVID-19 can be improved by diagnosis by a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, medication or acupuncture. For example, if “dampness evil traps the spleen”, the patient may be tired, have diarrhea, poor digestion, dizziness, and excessive phlegm. At this time, Sishen decoction, Huoxiang, white cardamom, etc. can be used, and the acupoints can be massaged at Yinlingquan point, Fenglong point, etc. wait.
Some patients still feel discomfort in the throat or have cough symptoms after the separation, the color of the tongue is still red, and the overall anger has not disappeared. This means that the heat evil has not been cleared away; Chinese medicine calls it “remaining heat that has not been cleared away.” Medicinal materials such as Houttuynia cordata, peppermint, forsythia, etc. can be used for improvement; the acupoints can be massaged at Yuji and Chize points.
In addition, a healthy lifestyle can help speed up the improvement of brain fog symptoms. Andrew E. Budson, an American cognitive behavioral neurologist, recommends taking the following measures. First, exercise more, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week. Exercise is better; second, a Mediterranean diet, with more vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains; third, proper sleep can help the brain and body remove toxins and recover.
Fourth, participating in social activities can help your mood and help thinking and memory; fifth, engage in activities that are beneficial to the body and mind, such as listening to music and mindfulness, and maintain an optimistic and positive attitude; sixth, avoid drinking and abusing drugs and poisons, and reduce exposure Substances that can damage the brain.
Recommended reading of “Lazy guide with the new coronavirus”
