KUALA LUMPUR: Long-term complications from Covid-19 or better known as “Long Covid” has become a cause for concern among ex-patients, with many being referred again to hospitals and Intensive Care Units (ICU) post-recovery.
Consultant Respiratory Physician at Sunway Medical Centre Velocity Dr Nurul Yaqeen Mohd Esa said, many former Covid-19 patients are now seeking treatment again from hospitals, with some being admitted.
She said, the number of patients who have been admitted due to Long Covid has increased to 10 people this month in her hospital.
Dr Nurul Yaqeen said, the main cause forcing former Covid-19 patients to hospitals and ICU was due to “organising pneumonia“.
SOURCE: Reproduction of original article by Ahmad Suhael Adnan as it appeared in New Straits Times on September 20, 2021
“Organising pneumonia occurs when the lungs of a Covid-19 patients are scarred after recovery, because during the infection period, the virus causes inflammation or injury to their lungs.
“When this happens, the inflammation to their lungs can become more serious despite recovering from the infection, forcing them to seek treatment again and a number of them admitted to ICU,” she told Berita Harian.
Patients with Long Covid experience signs and symptoms for more than four weeks and consists of two levels.
One level involves symptomatic patients that experience Covid-19 symptoms continuously between four to 12 weeks while the other level involves symptomatic patients with post Covid-19 symptoms after 12 weeks and cannot be related to any other alternative diagnosis.
Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) medical officer Dr Ahmad Samhan Awang was quoted as saying that former Covid-19 patients, especially those from Categories Two, Three, Four and Five infection levels, will most likely encounter Long Covid after recovery.
Dr Nurul Yaqeen said, former Covid-19 patients that experience Long Covid have to be treated in ICU because their lungs are unable to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide gases properly due to inflammation.
She said, this can result in Long Covid patients to be deprived of oxygen and deteriorate to critical condition and consequently, they require ventilator support in ICU.
“Currently, the treatment period for Long Covid patients in ICU is about a week or slightly longer than that,” she said.
Besides organising pneumonia, Dr Nurul Yaqeen said, patients with Long Covid have also been found to suffer from blood clots in their lungs.
“Although they have recovered, blood clots can still occur in blood vessels of the lungs that can lead to breathing difficulties in patients and they must be treated in ICU,” she said, adding that blood thinners will be administered to patients in such conditions.
Dr Nurul Yaqeen said, former Covid-10 patients are also more prone to getting heart attacks, especially if the virus has caused heart inflammation when they were infected.
“If the inflammation occurred in the lungs, ex-patients can also get heart attacks after recovery and require treatment in ICU, although they do not have a history of heart diseases or other illnesses prior to the Covid-19 infection,” she said.
Therefore, the lung specialist advised former Covid-19 patients to practise healthy lifestyles by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and getting adequate rest.
Doing so, she said, can boost immunity in ex-patients and reduce the severity of their Long Covid complications.
“Exercising between 20 to 30 minutes daily and getting adequate sleep between six to seven hours has been found to increase antibodies and can ensure Long Covid does not become severe.
“They must also avoid consuming traditional medicines and other herbal treatment with no clear description of their contents.
“This is because most of these medicines contain steroids in unregulated amounts or other toxic substances such as mercury that can result in kidney or liver failure as well as other complications,” she said.
Dr Nurul
