Understand the consequences of Covid – 06/06/2023 – Health

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What comes after Covid

A month ago, on May 5, the WHO (World Health Organization) decreed the end of the so-called Covid-19 health emergency. The disease is no longer an extraordinary event, requiring joint action by different countries, and is no longer an emergency.

In practice, little has changed, since life had resumed and there was almost no talk of the pandemic anymore. Restrictions on entry into ports and airports, the requirement for health passports (such as negative tests and vaccination proof) and care protocols (such as isolation and contact tracing) in positive cases of Covid were left behind.

With a balance of almost 800 million cases worldwide and approximately 7 million deaths, this was the biggest pandemic experienced in the last century. It does not stop there.

Sars-CoV-2 left tens of millions of people with the so-called acute Covid post-infection syndrome, also known as post-Covid or long Covid.

They are neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal, musculoskeletal sequelae and in several other organs and systems of the body, many without specific treatment, only with means of alleviating the symptoms.

According to the WHO, 10% to 20% of those infected suffer damage after infection.

It is difficult to characterize the post-Covid syndrome precisely because of its coverage in different organs and the inconsistency of symptoms. Some factors get in the way of this definition:

• Some of the symptoms are very widespreadsuch as body aches, cough, malaise;
• Others may have multiple causescases of palpitations, chest pains, gastrointestinal disorders, hair loss;

A recent report in The New York Times showed the lives of three people who have lung sequels due to Covid three years after contracting the disease. Organs were severely affected not only by the virus, but by complications related to hospitalization.

Disease attacks multiple organs

In addition to the symptoms already listed and related to respiratory and flu-like effects, Covid is a highly inflammatory disease that can affect different body systems and therefore damage some of them.

Fatigue, body aches and malaise can persist for up to a year after infection. There are also reports of mental confusion, forgetfulness, sleep problems, anxiety and depression, which may be related to the effects of Sars-CoV-2 on neurons.

In the case of the heart, an initial infection can inflame the organ and cause damage that takes time to heal. It is common for children who have had Covid, especially in the most severe forms, to have cardiac sequelae.

More specific symptoms, such as gastrointestinal disorders, seem to have a shorter duration and especially affect younger individuals who have had a mild infection.

Studies show that women, smokers and over 40 are at greater risk of developing long-term Covid.

Treatments and vaccination

The Recover survey, with thousands of people in the US, seeks to identify the main symptoms of post-Covid syndrome. Previous results have so far listed 37 most common symptoms in people with long-term Covid, in four well-defined groups:

• Group 1: change in smell or taste (100%);
• Group 2: malaise (99%) and fatigue (84%);
• Group 3: mental confusion (100%), malaise (99%) and fatigue (94%);
• Group 4: fatigue, malaise, mental confusion (94%), palpitations (86%) and gastrointestinal disturbances (88%)

According to a study carried out at the Faculty of Medicine of USP, the practice of physical activity can be effective in reducing the symptoms of post-Covid syndrome.

Patients who did physical exercises with professional guidance for a period of four months showed a significant improvement in quality of life, in addition to a reduction in symptoms, mainly related to muscle pain and fatigue.

Other research points out that vaccination is a protective factor for long-term Covid, especially booster doses, which can prevent reinfections, which end up making the appearance of sequelae more common.

Science to live better

News and studies on health and well-being

• A study conducted by the National Cancer Research Institute and the Université Paris Cité mapped the main genes associated with the incidence of heart problems in young and middle-aged women. The researchers found 16 genes involved in a type of heart condition that affects more young women known as spontaneous coronary artery dissection. The researchers now hope to develop treatments to act on the molecular mechanism of these genes and prevent heart attacks in young women. The study was published in the journal Nature Genetics.
• Results of a clinical trial conducted by Merck Pharmaceuticals showed significant improvement in patients with metastatic brain cancer after treatment with an immunotherapy. Called pembrolizumab, the drug was effective in shrinking the brain tumor in 42% of participants analyzed over two years. Metastatic brain cancer is the leading cause of death in patients with some solid tumors that have spread to the rest of the body, such as lung, breast, and melanoma. The study was published last Friday (2) in the journal Nature Medicine.
• A study published in the scientific journal Jama Neurology showed that the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the black population of the USA is double the previously estimated. Neurological disease causes immune system cells to destroy the protective layer of neurons, causing failures in communication between the brain and the body. According to the research authors, the low inclusion of minorities and underrepresented groups in clinical trials also has consequences for the accurate diagnosis of the disease. The study was conducted by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.