A month after recovery, Covid-19 pain persists

A month after recovery, Covid-19 pain persists

Many Report Weight Loss, Backache

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  22.07.2020

Several people in the city are showing health issues like fatigue, loss of smell and taste and weight loss more than a month after recovering from Covid-19. Some also report pain in the lower back or joints.

TOI spoke to 13 patients for an informal survey about their health a month after recovery. While a majority of them did not have co-morbidities, almost all were above 40 years of age and from different walks of life. The sole woman among the 13 reported throat pain after speaking for a while and said there was a drop in her haemoglobin count.

None of them has been followed up by government doctors or public health department officials or Greater Chennai Corporation.

Director of public health Selvavinayagam told TOI a long-term survey would soon begin on this topic.

Triplicane resident S Sadagopan, 62, who recovered 20 days ago, said he had weight loss and fatigue while going to work, but did not have breathing problems. Muthukumar, 57, a senior journalist who recovered a month ago, said he had lost 8kg and was yet to get back his sense of smell and taste completely. “But I don’t have any joint pain or breathing issues.”

The woman said she suffered giddiness and that she hydrated herself many times a day.

While 40-year-old Abdul Hameed said he had lingering pain in the legs and had reduced driving, a railway official said he lost 5 kilos after recovery, but had regained it due to a better diet. “I have no breathing problems or joint pain,” the 57-year-old, who is diabetic, said.

A 42-year-old man said he had lost around 20kg, but had regained only around 5kg. “I’m not able to walk much and my strength has reduced.”

Dr J Amalorpavanathan, a retired government official, said a lung function study of recovered patients should be carried out. “Impact of viral infection remains for a week, but this is a new disease for which we don’t have data. All we know is that lung capacity is compromised. Many are also reporting mental confusion apart from tiredness and lethargy,” he said.