▶ Eye pain, rashes and red spots on the face and lips
▶ Is a virus the direct cause? body reaction? darkness
5 unusual corona symptoms and how to deal with them
After going through the pandemic for a long time, people have learned about the obvious symptoms of COVID-19 infection. These include sore throat, bad cough, congestion, fever and general tiredness. However, rare symptoms occur in a small number of people. These are symptoms that sound like a fairy tale. Things like hairy tongues, purple fingers, and sunken faces.
“Every infectious disease has common symptoms and uncommon symptoms,” said Dr. Mark Mulligan, an infectious disease expert at NYU Langone Health. The root causes of rare symptoms can be better understood as we learn more about the coronavirus, but until then it’s mostly speculation added that alone
Since the start of the pandemic, confusing symptoms of loss of taste and smell have been alarming signs of the disease. Corona also interrupts the menstrual cycle in some vaccinated women.
A symptom review of more than 60,000 studies of people who tested positive for COVID found that a minority suffered from tinnitus in the ears, eye pain, rashes, red patches on the face or lips, hair loss and joint pain. . A large analysis of more than 600,000 Britons found that some of those who contracted the virus developed purple sores and blisters on their feet and general paralysis.
Doctors aren’t sure why only some people have these unusual symptoms. Dr Mulligan said genetics could be to blame. When it comes to vaccinations, it also has to do with vaccination status, as unvaccinated people can develop more serious infections and cause other symptoms. Scientists have also found that a small number of people can introduce the coronavirus into their bloodstream, he said. That means the virus can enter various organs in the body and cause symptoms beyond the respiratory tract, he said.
Antiviral drugs like Paxlovid can relieve symptoms like a coronavirus-related rash because they reduce the amount of virus in the blood, said Dr. Kelly Gebo, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. However, it’s not clear whether these symptoms are due directly to the virus or the body’s response to it. Inflammation may also be a factor, said Dr. Peter Chin Hong, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco. When a virus enters the bloodstream and affects various parts of the body, immune cells flock to those areas.
For example, the ear, which is usually unaffected by the virus, becomes inflamed, malfunctioning, and painful. In addition, corona can weaken patients and reactivate herpes or shingles virus that remained in the body due to past infections, resulting in rashes or cold sores.
A third theory is that the stress caused by the coronavirus infection (quarantine anxiety, loss of income, fear of long-term health effects) can cause symptoms such as hair loss and hives. “These symptoms, when related to the coronavirus, usually resolve within a few weeks without treatment,” Dr. Chin Hong explained. Here are some of the causes and potential treatments for these symptoms.
▲ Hairy tongue
According to Dr. Chin Hong, healthy tongue cells differentiate and replace themselves quickly, but when the old cells remain and continue to form, they often form a thick overgrowth called a “hairy tongue.” Even before the coronavirus, doctors had seen patients with hairy tongues due to viral infections, smoking, antibiotic use and poor hygiene, he added, adding that this condition is “more common than you think.” “It’s terrifying to see, but the pain is temporary,” she said. Some people may feel a burning sensation in their mouth, but not be alarmed by these symptoms.
People with hairy tongues can use a tongue scraper or toothbrush to scrape off tongue cells and should practice good oral hygiene to prevent further development. In rare cases, people with coronavirus can develop oral candidiasis, which results from a fungal infection. This could be related to a suppressed immune system or antibiotic use, said Dr. Jinhong. Medical treatment for thrush usually involves taking antifungal medications for 10 to 14 days.
▲ Tingling in the nerves
The prickling sensation in the skin could be because the nerves are inflamed by infection-fighting immune cells, explains Dr. Chin Hong. The virus itself can also damage the peripheral nerves that go to the hands and feet, Dr. Gebo said, adding that this also happens with a shingles infection.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were about three times more likely to report pain, tingling and numbness in their hands and feet than those who tested negative. The tingling sensation usually goes away within a few days, but if the pain persists, talk to your doctor and take Tylenol or Motrin. Dr. Mark Sala, co-director of Northwestern Medicine’s COVID-19 Intensive Center, said anyone experiencing persistent nerve pain after recovering from the virus should see a doctor.
▲ Rash
Viruses are known to cause rashes, said Dr. Sala, who has also observed various skin conditions in corona patients. The American Academy of Dermatology (AADA) considers itchy bumps, chickenpox-like blisters, and rashes that form wrinkled patterns on the skin to be conditions associated with the coronavirus. If the rash persists after recovering from COVID-19, it’s a good idea to see a dermatologist.
▲ hair loss
Physical or emotional distress of any kind can cause hair loss, says Dr. Sylphi Ketarpal, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic. It’s not clear whether the coronavirus itself or the stress associated with it causes hair loss, she said, but people who lose hair during or after COVID-19 can grow it back if they wait and don’t panic .
▲ Crown tip
Scientists are still grappling with the cause of ‘Covid toe’, a condition in which frostbite-like rashes and blisters form on the feet and toes after infection, causing the toes to swell and turn purple. One theory is that people with coronavirus may experience microvascular clots, which occur in the body’s smallest blood vessels, blocking the blood supply and causing discoloration, Dr. Sala says. acute phase of the infection are common. I’ll be leaving soon, he added.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AADA) recommends using hydrocortisone cream as a treatment. Edema usually goes away on its own, but doctors don’t know why. “We’re still learning about Corona,” said Dr. Mulligan.
By Dani Blum>
