Many people who recovered from Covid weeks ago are complaining of lung or cardiac problems that doctors say are the effects of the damage done by the coronavirus.
A 76-year-old man recently underwent surgery at a private hospital to repair a fracture in his leg. However, soon after the surgery, his condition turned critical and doctors discovered that he had a "residual" patch of Covid pneumonia in his lungs, which got aggravated after the surgery.
The man was put on a ventilator.
Doctors said that though most people who contracted Covid during the Omicron-driven third wave presented mild symptoms, many of them, from varied age groups, are falling sick weeks after recovery.
These people, doctors said, are suffering from lung and heart ailments. There are others who are fighting hospital-acquired infections because of their long stay in hospital.
“During the first and second Covid waves, those who got severe infections used to have lung involvement in the early stage of the disease process. But, during the third wave, many patients who didn't have any lung symptoms in the initial phase of the disease process are now coming with symptoms related to lung problems,” said Ajoy Krishna Sarkar, pulmonologist and clinical director of the critical care unit of Peerless Hospital. “Tests including CT scans are showing changes quite consistent with Covid infection.”
Sarkar said patches of pneumonia that developed when the person had contracted Covid were still persisting.
“The pneumonia is persisting and affecting the normal lung function like exchange of oxygen and carbon-di-oxide. Such patients are coming to the outpatient department or Emergency ward with symptoms of breathlessness and fatigue,” he said.
Sauren Panja, head of the critical care unit at the RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, said patients of all age groups were coming with such complaints.
“In the first two waves, we got patients who complained of fatigue and breathlessness after months. This time, too, despite milder symptoms, we are getting patients who are having complications weeks after being infected,” said Panja.
Doctors said a section of people who had Covid were now being treated for hospital-acquired infections.
“Such infections were common during the first two waves as people needed to be in hospital for days. Because of the compromised lung conditions, these patients are susceptible to such infections,” said Chandramouli Bhattacharya, infectious disease expert at Peerless Hospital.
“However, this time, despite mild symptoms, many Covid patients had to stay at the hospital for long because they were mostly treated for other ailments and Covid was an incidental finding. Such patients are getting hospital-acquired secondary infections,” Bhattacharya said.
Suvanan Ray, director, cardiovascular department, Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, said he treated a 40-year-old Covid patient who had marginally high blood pressure and was mildly diabetic.
“Suddenly he is having uncontrolled diabetes and is suffering from breathlessness and exhaustion,” said Ray.
“Covid patients are suffering from ischemic heart disease and syncope or temporary loss of consciousness,” he said.