For the second year now, we have been living in a world where masks, antiseptics, vaccinations, QR codes, and social distancing are the new norm.
There are more and more people who have been ill with coronavirus, and the course of the disease and its consequences still leave many questions.
So far, scientists do not have answers to all questions related to coronavirus, but it is already quite clear that even after recovery, there are health consequences that are expressed differently for each person who has been ill.
Together with Alevtina Fedina, therapist and medical director of the Checkme selection service, we figured out how to check your body after coronavirus, detect the consequences of the disease in a timely manner and prevent complications.
What are the consequences of covid?
The virus causes complications, even if you are asymptomatic. There are two types of consequences: immediate and long-term. Of the immediate – loss of smell and taste, constant headaches, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Most often, these symptoms go away on their own after recovery.
Long-term complications are much more serious: the virus disrupts the blood coagulation system, heart, lungs, thyroid and pancreas, liver, kidneys, and other critical organs. Doctors are already talking about the post- coronavirus syndrome and long covid, highlighting these conditions as requiring special attention – their manifestations prevent patients from living and working normally and do not allow them to return to the previous state that they had before the illness. Recovery takes weeks or months and, doctors do not exclude such a scenario, even years.
Blood clotting problems
The inflammatory process leads to the thickening of the blood: the formed blood clots clog the vessels – and oxygen and nutrients cease to flow to the organs. In the long term, myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke may occur. And if a person with a stroke does not receive help in the first 4-6 hours, then a fatal outcome is likely. Even if help is provided on time, there is a great chance to remain disabled, since damage to brain areas affects the entire body. Tellingly, blood clotting disorders are often asymptomatic, so they can be detected only by passing examinations in a timely manner.
Failures in the work of the heart
Signs of heart problems after suffering a coronavirus are tingling, shortness of breath, tachycardia “out of the blue”, and an inexplicable feeling of anxiety and fear. Discomfort cannot be ignored: dangerous heart diseases develop imperceptibly in a person.
Fibrosis
Lung tissue is quickly restored, even if the infection has affected half of the organ. But in some people, at the healing stage, the lung tissue degenerates into connective tissue. This process is called fibrosis. Symptoms of fibrosis are a barking cough, pallor, wheezing, shortness of breath, and a constant feeling of fatigue.
Decreased or increased thyroid function
Coronavirus damages the walls of blood vessels, and glands are organs with a very active blood supply. If there is a lack of oxygen and nutrients, then their function is impaired. The thyroid gland can begin to produce few hormones, then a person gains weight for no reason, and feels lethargic and sleepy. Or too many hormones – sweating, trembling fingers, difficulty sleeping, and everything around will begin to irritate.
Impaired liver function
The liver has to detoxify viruses, toxins, leftover antibiotics, and other drugs that the patient received during treatment. If the liver cannot cope with the load, then the fraction of “bad” cholesterol and the risk of atherosclerosis increase in a person, which leads to strokes and heart attacks. As a result, a person gains weight, swells, becomes lethargic, the skin turns yellow, and after eating, pain appears in the right hypochondrium.
Kidney inflammation
Many people who have recovered from the coronavirus have symptoms of kidney damage. Inflammation is manifested by pain in the lumbar region, sudden frequent trips to the toilet at night, and the appearance of edema.
If a person was prone to diabetes before the coronavirus, then after it the disease can suddenly manifest itself. If you are thirsty all the time, often pull to the toilet in a small way and your fingers go numb for no reason, then you should check your blood glucose level.
What and when to check after suffering a coronavirus?
Immediately after recovery:
- Donate blood for clotting – make a coagulogram;
- Do EchoCG and ECG with a therapist or cardiologist;
- Undergo spirography – check if there are changes in lung volume;
- Check to fast blood glucose levels.
If you feel severe weakness, muscle or headaches, get tired quickly – ask your doctor to additionally refer you to blood tests for key nutrients: magnesium, vitamin D, and ferritin. If there is a shortage, you will be prescribed the necessary drugs to replenish the stocks. This is important for strengthening the immune system and improving metabolism.
2 months later:
it is necessary to repeat the correlogram and show its results to the therapist.
After 3-5 months:
- Donate blood for ALT, AST, GGT, creatinine, and GFR: deviations will indicate problems with the liver and kidneys;
- Check the level of TSH;
- To know the level of blood glucose on an empty stomach;
- Repeat the ECG and EchoCG and with their results be sure to go to the cardiologist, even if nothing bothers you.
After passing such an examination and passing tests, it is necessary to contact a therapist to interpret the tests and work with deficits and deviations. It is not worth postponing: getting rid of protracted chronic diseases is much more difficult and costly.
