Long COVID Can Damage You Silently: Why The Next 18 Months Are Crucial, Explain Experts
The silent killer -- long-COVID has affected several lives in the past two and a half years, ever since the pandemic began in 2019. Once infected by the coronavirus, the body gets affected in many ways. From the liver to the heart, the COVID-19 virus can leave the body suffering from major health complications for months. This is what exactly is known as Long-COVID.
In a recent study, researchers have stated that about 71 per cent of the total people who have been infected by the COVID virus are diagnosed with long-COVID with severe medical requirements. The study further stated that 70 per cent of the population also couldn't work for almost six months and more.
The US-based researchers estimate that the condition is present in 10 per cent of the 651 million Covid-19 cases that have been documented worldwide. Let's understand this long COVID in detail. The World Health Organisation (WHO) later published a standardized clinical case definition of long COVID in 2021, but the global health body stated that the proper diagnosis of long-COVID is still a challenge in many countries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that COVID doesn't leave the body completely after the infection period is over. According to the experts, some people who catch COVID can experience long-term effects from the infection for more than 6 months --- this is called post-COVID conditions (PCC) or long-COVID.
In a recent study published earlier this month, experts warned that COVID-19 patients have an elevated risk of death from the various complications caused by the infection for at least 18 months after testing positive for COVID.
Speaking to the IANS, Professor Ian CK Wong of the University of Hong Kong, China said, "The findings indicate that patients with Covid-19 should be monitored for at least a year after recovering from the acute illness to diagnose cardiovascular complications of the infection, which form part of long Covid".
