Long-Covid: A parallel epidemic is derailing healthcare

Even as concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic fade with the passage of time, those who will never be able to put it behind are the ones who lost family members or those who are in the grip of a parallel epidemic – long-Covid. The catch-all term includes long-term effects such as abnormal heart rate, chronic fatigue, weight loss, digestive problems, reduced exercise tolerance, insomnia and muscle weakness, to name a few. These can last for months, even years.

A study published last year in the medical journal ‘Lung India’ warned experts against the challenges in managing long-Covid.

Dr Sanjay Oak, the president of Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force, said that long-Covid cases with complications are increasing exponentially. The alarming rate at which deaths in younger people are occurring is a matter of concern, he said. “We are not doing enough to handle post-Covid complications. Many cardiac deaths have been reported in youngsters, but we cannot connect them with Covid infection or vaccination yet. But I have never seen so many hip replacement or joint surgeries; many of these patients are surprisingly dependent on oxygen,” he said.

Dr Rahul Pandit, another member of Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force, added Varicella-Zoster infection (chicken pox) and psoriasis to the list of complications. He said though a Covid-infected person later succumbing to a heart attack doesn’t necessarily mean that the attack was linked to the novel virus. “But I have come across such cases where recovered patients have experienced immunity loss, making them vulnerable to other diseases. It’s important to get a regular medical check-up instead of waiting for symptoms to disappear on their own,” he said.

Dr Pandit added that patients with underlying illnesses like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic liver disease and kidney disease may have flare-ups after Covid.

“It is quite early to make any judgement regarding long-term complications after recovery from Covid or Omicron. Most of them are observations of clinicians made in a short duration. Detailed studies are required to assess these problems and pathological mechanisms causing them,” he said.