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Experts call it “Long-Covid”. It is a clinical picture characterized by different signs and symptoms, which persist over time even months after the swab has become negative and the infection has officially ended. The World Health Organization has codified this condition, with disorders that can affect various organs and in any case have a heavy impact on the quality of life.
At risk, especially up to the age of 60, are above all women and more generally overweight and obese people, but the picture can occur at all ages, even in children who may have had no symptoms or had minimal disturbances. At the moment to explain this condition there are no certainties, but it is thought that, among other factors, it can occur some kind of autoimmune reaction, with the virus that in practice induces an “error” on the part of the body’s defensive system, leading it to the point of producing autoantibodies, which do not recognize as “their” tissues of the body which can therefore be attacked, triggering the symptoms.
It affects the psyche and the body
The symptoms of post-Covid syndrome are very varied. They range from weakness that does not allow you to make efforts up to anxiety and insomnia, but there is no lack of real pains in the joints and muscles, as well as headaches, some lines of fever and a feeling of general malaise. Generally – but it is not a fixed rule – the picture tends to present itself and to persist over time, especially when the symptoms of the infection have been more serious.
But be careful: it is also important to understand whether it is “Long-Covid” or post-Covid. And explaining what happens is not easy. “The characterization of the etiology and pathophysiology of late sequelae is still ongoing and in many cases reflects the organ damage occurring during the acute infection phase (see cerebral stroke or encephalopathy) – explains Alessandro Padovani, Director of the Neurological Clinic of ‘University of Brescia – often in relation to manifestations of a persistent hyper-inflammatory state or an inadequate antibody response ”.
“No less relevant, however, are the psychological sequelae following a long or difficult course of the disease as well as those relating to lifestyle changes due to the pandemic. Probably, the persistent sequelae of Covid-19 are the expression of multiple syndromes resulting from distinct pathophysiological processes along the spectrum of the disease “.
According to the expert, the list of problems related to post-Covid it’s really very long. They range from asthenia, dyspnoea, cough, arthralgia and widespread pain to cognitive impairment, depression, myalgia, and headaches. Possible rarer complications have also been reported.
“These complications include the cardiovascular system (endocarditis, myocarditis, heart failure), respiratory (respiratory function abnormalities, pulmonary fibrosis, Bpco aggravation), renal (glomerulonephritis, renal vasculitis, renal arterial thrombosis), dermatological (skin rash, alopecia ), psychiatric (depression, anxiety, emotional lability) and neurological (malaise, fatigue, concentration and memory disorders, sensitivity disorders, sleep dysregulation) – Padovani confirms. Not infrequently, the aforementioned disorders are associated with each other “.
Finally, we must not forget that sometimes post-Covid also affects children, regardless of the severity of the symptoms of the first infection. This is confirmed by a study by a research group of the Department of Women’s and Child Health and Public Health of the A. Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation in Rome: in about 130 children diagnosed with Covid-19, just under one in three (27.1 percent) had a disorder four months after infection, and one in five had three or more symptoms related to the picture, including joint pain, sleep disturbance, and headache.
Many aspects to be clarified
In short: even if fortunately Covid-19 frequently goes away without leaving “heavy” traces on the body, even if it can take several weeks from elimination to feel fit, attention must be paid to the risk of post-Covid syndrome. Above all there is the feeling that it is also necessary to know some aspect related to the infection, which could help explain why some people experience some sort of “Lengthening” of the disturbances, even after the body and treatments have eradicated the virus.
In short, the important thing is to always refer to the doctor, always keeping him informed of what is manifesting itself even after some time from the infection, to better deal with this condition yet to be fully discovered.
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