MORBIDITY (long term effects) associated with Covid

We primarily hear about infection rates and mortality rates when it comes to Covid. Mortality rate is obviously the number of deaths that occur with a disease. MORBIDITY on the other hand is any physical or psychological state considered to be outside the realm of normal well-being. So what I am interested in primarily is the LONG TERM morbidity associated with having been infected with Covid. There is VERY LITTLE I am able to find as this is a very “young” pandemic and there haven’t been many studies yet on survivors. It seems that all the media wants to focus on is how “low” the mortality rate is when compared to say the common flu. I think one of the MAJOR differences with Covid and the flu will be long term morbidity. So let’s see what I could find.

Cardiac Damage This is a very recent article looking at long term CARDIAC damage to survivors.

https://southfloridahospitalnews.com/page/COVID19_Cardiac_Injury_Implications_for_LongTerm_Surveillance_and_Outcomes_in_Survivors/16398/25/

The study so far has found that up to a third of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 show evidence of myocardial injury (injury to the muscle tissues of the heart) and elevated levels of troponin (proteins that release when the heart is damaged). In the short term, cardiac injury can worsen a COVID-19 patient’s prognosis, increase the need for mechanical ventilation and increase the risk of death. However, the long-term effects are still unknown. Some studies are showing that up to 19% of survivors are showing damage. The damage could lead to irregular heart rhythms and decrease in cardiac muscle contraction.

Blood clotting, stroke, and embolisms Physicians are seeing an uptick in strokes among young patients with Covid-19. The blood clots also can travel to other organs, leading to ongoing health problems. For instance, pulmonary embolisms, which occur when the clots block circulation to the lungs, can cause ongoing “functional limitations,” like fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and discomfort when performing physical activity. There is also evidence of clots causing renal (kidney) damage. Up to 20% of hospitalized patients are on dialysis for a time.

Lung damage Clearly this is one of the worst areas of damage. I know patients who have asthma and contracted Covid and they are still having problems months after “recovery”. Another patient’s chest x-ray is still severely abnormal and his blood oxygen level still hasn’t returned to normal. He is short of breath going up a flight of stairs! Some CT scans show Covid-19 patients have light gray patches on their lungs called “ground-glass opacities,” which don’t always heal. One Chinese study found the patches in 77% of patients. This type of lung damage can be permanent and could result in reduced lung capacity. You could end up being short of breath with minimal exertion. About one third of survivors of similar coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS had long-term lung damage.

Neurological symptoms Covid-19 can also affect the central nervous system. Patients show neurological symptoms like headaches, dizziness, loss of taste and smell, and impaired consciousness. Decreased concentration and memory as well as dysfunction of the peripheral nerves that lead to the arms, legs, fingers, and toes could also be chronic problems.

So we’ll see over time what additional studies find. In the meantime, No….you probably won’t die if you are healthy and don’t have other problems like heart disease or diabetes, BUT it can be a LONG time before you return to normal and a real percentage of survivors will have chronic problems. So stop focusing on just the Mortality Rate, put on your mask and take this thing seriously! Unless you are under 30 you have a REAL RISK of being VERY SICK for a LONG TIME!