Millions of people experience long Covid-19 but feel they are not taken seriously by their families.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Millions of former COVID patients are still experiencing severe symptoms months after recovering. Many struggle to convince their doctor or loved one to take it seriously.
As experienced by Marta Esperti. In the past 18 months, the answer she’s heard the most from doctors has been: “You have to wait.”
He felt waiting was not an option. Fever, vomiting, fatigue, memory loss and very low oxygen saturation persist for more than a year after being infected with COVID-19. Esperti, a PhD student who loves to travel and exercise, can now run out of breath while cooking lunch.
After visiting many specialist doctors in France and his native Italy, he finally got his diagnosis: Long COVID/Covid Long Term. Examinations also showed significant damage to his heart and lungs.
“I felt angry. For a year, I wasn’t taken seriously,” he told DW.
“Maybe if someone listened, I would have a chance to recover.”
What is long term COVID or Long COVID?
Esperti is one of millions of COVID patients who continue to experience the effects weeks or even months after being declared cured of an acute COVID infection. These symptoms can range from fatigue, brain fog to shortness of breath.
About 15 per cent of former COVID patients still have some symptoms after 12 weeks, according to a study conducted by researchers at Imperial College London in the UK. Older women and patients are at a higher risk for long-term catching COVID, but men and children can also experience these symptoms.
Scientists are still researching possible causes, which make the condition more difficult to diagnose and treat. For many long-term sufferers of Covid, the trip to the doctor’s office becomes a battle for recognition for their symptoms.
sumber : DW
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