Long COVID: Why a country like India should worry

A recent survey by community social media platform LocalCircle has reported that 65 percent of people know at least one individual in their close network who has experienced long COVID with symptoms persisting weeks after recovering from the infection. This, coupled with a large US study, which said that COVID-19 significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, has raised fresh alarm in India.

What is long COVID and how is it defined?

Experts point out that a large number of people who recover from COVID-19 experience what is medically called Post-Acute COVID Syndrome (PACS), characterised by cognitive and neurological symptoms that persist for weeks or months after having recovered from the actual infection. Several studies have shown that nearly 10 percent of people aged 18 -49 years who have contracted COVID-19 go on to develop long COVID. However, for those above 70 years of age, nearly one in five are bound to suffer from the serious after-effects of the infectious disease. Sadly, the risk factor for long COVID is the same for everyone—those healthy and others with existing ailments—and one can get it even if they have had only mild or moderate coronavirus infections.

What are the symptoms of long COVID?

There are a wide range of symptoms that linger after infection. These include severe fatigue, loss of smell and taste, brain fog, persistent cough, skin- and hair-related problems, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, sleep disorders, anxiety, stomach problems, fever, muscle pain, headache and depression. Some even more serious issues include cardiovascular diseases and lung- or kidney-related complications.

What are the latest findings related to long COVID?

An analysis based on healthcare databases from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and published in the journal Nature, which studied 1.5 lakh coronavirus patients, said that people who had recovered from COVID-19 showed dramatic increases in 20 cardiovascular problems over the year after infection. For instance, they were 52 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke than the contemporary control group, indicating that out of every 1,000 people studied, there were around 4 more people in the COVID-19 group than in the control group who suffered a stroke. Similarly, the risk of heart failure increased by 72 per cent. The study also found that even though hospitalisation during COVID-19raise the likelihood of future cardiovascular complications, even people who recovered at home were at higher risk for many conditions. “Even a mild case of COVID-19 can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular problems for at least a year after diagnosis,” the study concluded, adding that the risk is high even for people under 65 without risk factors like diabetes and obesity.

Why should India worry?

India is already facing an alarming rise in non-communicable diseases with the prevalence rate of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer afflicting 116 out of 1,000 people. This figure is much higher for the 35-plus age group and even more worryingly, nearly two-thirds of the affected people are in the most productive age group of 26- 59 years. With a large number of people with long COVID adding to this pool, this will mean a higher burden of non-communicable diseases in India and will add to the country’s public health woes.