Experts see rise in opportunistic infections in Covid-19 recovered patients
Dec 23, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 23 : Increased rates of complications, including injuries ranging from sub-clinical to clinical level injuries have been observed among people who have recovered from Covid-19, say doctors.
According to the experts, opportunistic infections due to reduced immunity after coronavirus treatment, including subtle injury, subclinical injury and clinical level injury, is is very obvious among recovered patients.
"The opportunistic infections have increased following coronavirus. The ubiquitous fungus affects people who are not immunocompromised. One such is Mucormycosis which is a life-threatening fungus," Dr SP Byotra, Chairman of Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ran Hospital told ANI.
Dr Byotra also pointed out that post-Covid-19 complications (such as breathlessness) were seen among patients who were discharged many months back. "After examinations, we often find fibrosis of the lungs. Other complications include various types of anaemia and low haemoglobin. Joint pains are the most commonly observed."
"However, analysis confirms that the disease is just nine months old and we do not know everything about it. There would be certainly some post-Covid morbidities and mortalities that is going to happen," he said.
Dr Prasun Chatterjee, Associate Professor, Department of Geriatric Medicine, AIIMS said usually it has been seen that the virus persists for two or three weeks but can also stay for longer. "In that case virus multiplications and related inflammatory changes in lungs and other organs can be seen," he said.
Generally, many asymptomatic carriers had lung injury perhaps in a subclinical format which comes in focus during post Covid tenure," he said.
"We are getting patients who were asymptomatic and minimum respiratory symptom who have lung fibrosis. Lately, we came to know that the virus affects the heart equally. It can cause injury to the myocardial muscles," said Dr Chatterjee.
He also stated that there are also some nonspecific inflammation in the brain which can lead to dizziness.
"Various ischemic changes can also be observed in the brain, heart, or lungs. Importantly it has been observed that heart function has drastically reduced after COVID along with reduced effort tolerance, pneumonia," he said.
"Isolation due to the virus can increase the risk of future dimensions in elderly people many fold," Chatterjee said.
