‘Long Covid’ complaints prompt Bengal advisory – Times of India

Kolkata News
KOLKATA: In a first, the Bengal government on Thursday released a detailed guideline for treatment of “long Covid”, medically referred to as post-acute Covid-19, in which patients are reporting persistent mild to moderate symptoms after their initial recovery, lasting several months.
These patients — the state advisory says —are reporting two basic patterns. Serious pathological conditions which can be diagnosed and the second, a “non-specific clinical picture”. But both these conditions, the state says, indicate that “long Covid” can be a multi-system disease.

The protocol, which is based on 14 published international research works, details a follow-up treatment for recovered patients, from the first week itself that can last a year. “The protocol will try to introduce a uniformity in treatment of post-Covid complications,” a senior state health official said.
Primarily, the state says, while it is not known why some people’s recovery is prolonged, some factors are believed to be triggering this. “Persistent viraemia due to weak or absent antibody response, relapse or re-infection, inflammatory and other immune reactions, deconditioning and mental factors such as post-traumatic stress may all contribute. Long term respiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuropsychiatric sequelae have been described for other coronaviruses (SARS and MERS), and these have pathophysiological parallels with post-acute Covid-19,” the advisory says, adding, “Even so-called mild Covid may be associated with long-term symptoms, most commonly cough, low grade fever and fatigue.”
Other reported symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, neuro-cognitive difficulties, muscle pains and weakness, gastrointestinal upset, rashes, metabolic disruption (such as poor control of diabetes), thrombo-embolic conditions and depression and other mental health conditions. For now, unless these symptoms are present there is no need to “refer or investigate” if the patient is otherwise well.
For asymptomatic and mild Covid patients now in home isolation, the first follow up will be done within one week from completion of 17-day home isolation. They will specifically be asked for any symptom of inflammation or coagulopathy. Even if no abnormality is seen on first visit, blood sugar tests need to be done after a month and then twice-a-year. ECG and chest X-ray need to be done on every visit.
For moderate to severe patients, who had been discharged after treatment in hospitals, the first follow-up will be done within two weeks from discharge. Even if there are no abnormalities, the blood sugar should be checked after one month and once every six months.
Treatment for “long Covid” has been categorized into two segments. The first will require treatment beyond three weeks from the onset of symptoms and chronic cases where treatment may extend beyond 12 weeks. It asks all Covid patients to follow up on the 14th and 28th day post discharge and then monthly for the next one year.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/long-covid-complaints-prompt-state-advisory/articleshow/79785021.cms