Published Dec 14, 2022 | 6:47 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 14, 2022 | 6:48 PM
Studies showed complications arising from the use of drugs that were used to treat Covid. Representational Image. (Creative Commons)
Doctors have lauded Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan’s demand in the House for more studies to understand the impact of long Covid on people’s health, which would otherwise end up becoming a “parallel pandemic”.
In a special mention in the House, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader said there was ample evidence for a variety of side effects being seen among the infected population.
“Many people, after recovering, continue to experience symptoms such as headache, persistent fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath. This has been corroborated by an Oxford University research,” she explained.
“Many people seem to have acquired prolonged medical conditions, including diabetes and heart problems and hence need attention,” the MP pointed out.
Vandana Chavan
She cited from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data to highlight that cases of heart conditions and attacks in Mumbai rose by nearly 25 percent in 2022 from the pre-pandemic 2017.
The MP said that Covid-19 also impacted the mental health of patients.
“In light of all this evidence, more studies must be conducted to understand the long-term impact of Covid-19 on the human body. Otherwise, this might end up becoming a parallel pandemic,” she said and urged the government to look into the matter at the earliest.
Doctors appreciated MP Vandana and reiterated that the Union health ministry and ICMR should take up the issue seriously and conduct more studies on the long-term impact of Covid-19.
Speaking to South First, Dr Rohan Krishnan, President of FAIMA said, several studies abroad showed several complications arising from the use of drugs that were used to treat Covid. He stressed the need for more research into the aftereffects of Covid-19.
“Covid has affected the world like never before. And now as the pandemic’s infectious phase has waned, we must look into the chronic phase of the pandemic — the long-term effects of the disease,” he said.
“We have seen many patients who had recovered from Covid developing avascular necrosis of the hip and cardiac deaths during workouts. So, a holistic view and research are needed,” Dr Rohan said.
Echoing similar views, Dr CN Manjunath, Director, Jayadeva Hospitals, said: “Such studies can change treatment protocol besides providing a better understanding of long Covid complications,” he added.
Meanwhile, doctors argued that several aspects of long Covid may be unreported in the current scenario. For instance, if someone has severe sleep-related or anxiety issues due to the impact of Covid-19, it may never get diagnosed as there is no protocol to diagnose such issues.
“Many of my patients get frustrated when their vitals are all fine and yet they have issues related to sleep, anxiety, headache, etc. From severe hair loss to lung disorders to anxiety, everything is now attributed to long Covid. So, it is important to study these symptoms so that proper guidelines are set to identify and treat long Covid,” Dr Ravichandran R, a general physician in Bengaluru, said.
