Monitor symptoms post-Covid recovery: AIIMS study

The Covid-19 pandemic has ravaged countries across the world, and since it is a novel virus, new studies are being conducted each day to help people understand the disease better. One such study, on post-Covid symptoms, was conducted by AIIMS Delhi.

As per the study, post-Covid symptoms take more than a few weeks to subside, but a physician should treat them adequately and it should not lead to fuelling panic.

The study is pre-peer reviewed and was conducted on 1,234 patients, as per a report by Mint. It was conducted after the first Covid wave in Delhi.

The study was conducted at a healthcare centre in North India, between October 2020 and February 2021.

"Patients aged >18 years with a confirmed Covid-19 disease were recruited after at least two weeks of diagnosis and interviewed for any post-Covid-19 symptoms," the study said.

Speaking to the Mint, Dr Naveet Wig, HOD of Department of Medicine, AIIMS, said they studied for various symptoms, and as per results, "around 40% of patients had symptoms in the first month, 22% had symptoms between 1-3 months, whereas only 10% had symptoms beyond 3 months of symptoms onset".

He added that there were some common symptoms, such as body ache, fatigue, breathing difficulty, disturbed sleep and mood disturbances. He also said patients with severe symptoms and patients with hypothyroidism were more likely to have post-Covid symptoms that persisted even after three months.

Dr Neeraj Nischal, associate professor at AIIMS, also spoke to the publication and said "Post-Covid symptoms are a well-recognised, but an under-appreciated complication of the infection. Although symptoms may be more prevalent in patients who have had moderate to severe disease, it can be seen also in those who were asymptomatic or had mild disease."

He added that the symptoms can be wide ranging from respiratory problems to multi-system symptoms. He said that these can tend to go away without medical intervention, if one keeps a 'positive outlook' and returns to normalcy of life. He also recommended counselling, breathing exercises, a balanced diet and a gradual introduction of physical activities for those suffering from anxiety or depression post-Covid.

"Specialist consultation will be required in a very small number of patients who continue to have persistent organ-specific symptoms. In patients recovering from Covid, tele-consultations or physical consultations with a local doctor are recommended for 3-6 months," Dr Wig said.