India’s struggle with long covid: Why the battle isn’t over yet

Even as the world grows past the pandemic, long-term

COVID-19

, a condition that persists after recovery from acute COVID-19, remains a serious

health risk

. Numerous lasting symptoms, including exhaustion, breathing difficulties, cognitive problems like

brain fog

, joint and muscular pain, and a chronic cough, are included in the syndrome and can remain for months.
The struggle against COVID-19 is far from over, despite the World Health Organization declaring it a global health emergency in May of last year. According to a recent study, the consequences of

long Covid

are not limited and can occur alongside other serious

respiratory diseases

. Now this adds another level of complexity to the global situation.

Long Covid is not just a post-Covid phenomenon

New research from the University of Oxford reveals that the symptoms often associated with long

Covid

are not limited to Covid-19 alone but can also occur after other serious respiratory illnesses. Data from 190,000 people was examined for the study and was further divided into three groups. The group included those hospitalised with COVID-19, those with other LRTIs, and a control group that did not have any hospitalisations of any kind.

People who were hospitalized because of COVID-19 had a higher chance of experiencing 23 out of 45 possible physical and psychological symptoms, according to the findings, which were published in JAMA Network Open. Similarly, patients hospitalised for non-COVID LRTIs experienced 18 of these symptoms, suggesting that post-acute complications are not exclusive to Covid.
Long Covid can be defined by a wide range of symptoms that impact the body’s neurological, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and respiratory systems. The study found serious neurological and cognitive problems in addition to the most frequently reported symptoms of exhaustion, breathing problems, and brain fog.
When compared to the control group and even those hospitalised for other respiratory illnesses COVID-19 patients displayed more severe cognitive and communication problems. It also suggests that, while the long Covid are similar to those of other disorders, the effects on the brain may be more obvious than previously thought.

The sickness continues to cause challenges for healthcare workers around the world. For example, poor guidelines and research on long-term Covid make it difficult for doctors to figure out and manage the disease. Effective care for patients suffering from these persistent symptoms is difficult due to an absence of research and uniform dosages.
The situation is particularly bad in India. Despite the large number of cases during the epidemic, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the prevalence and repercussions of extended Covid in the country. This information gap complicates efforts to understand and treat the sickness at the national level.
(With inputs from agencies)