By Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters agency
Scientists are just beginning to understand the dire dimension of coronavirus health problems, some of which could have noticeable effects on patients for years, according to doctors and experts in infectious disease. In addition to respiratory deficiencies that plague patients, the virus that causes covid-19 attacks many organs in the body and – in some cases – causes catastrophic damage.
“We thought it was just a respiratory virus. But it turns out that it reaches the pancreas, which attacks the heart. It goes through the liver, brain, kidneys and other organs, “said the doctor. Eric Topol, cardiologist and director of the Scripps Institute for Transnational Research in La Jolla, California.
In addition to respiratory distress, covid-19 patients may experience blood clotting disorders that can lead to strokes and extreme inflammation that attacks multiple organs.
The virus can also cause neurological complications ranging from headaches, dizziness, and loss of taste or smell to seizures and confusion. And recovery can be slow, incomplete, and expensive, with a major impact on quality of life.
The wide and diverse manifestations of covid-19 represent a unique disorder, said the doctor. Sadiya khan, a cardiologist at the Northwestern Medicine Center in Chicago. In influenza cases, people with pre-existing heart conditions are at increased risk for complications, he said. But the surprising thing about this virus is the extent of complications outside the lungs.
Kahn believes that there will be a great expense and burden of medical care for people who have survived covid-19.
Patients who were in the intensive care unit or connected to a ventilator will need to spend a lot of time in rehabilitation to regain mobility and strength. “It can take seven days for every day you are hospitalized to recover,” Kahn said. “It’s more difficult when you’re older and you may never return to the same level of physical ability.”
Doctors are paying increasing attention to the needs of patients who were not sick enough to require hospitalization, but still suffer, months after becoming infected.
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