KOCHI: As world around, nations continue to wage pitched battles against Covid-19 pandemic, researchers across the globe are working round-the-clock to determine the implications Covid infection would have on the health of a person in the long run.While the outcome of studies will take many years to reach their conclusion, experts are of the view that the disease has the potential to leave lasting scars on the health condition of a person, especially those with severe comorbidities. Several doctors who treated Covid-19 patients have observed kidney ailments and severe lung damage in them.
“About 20 per cent of hospitalised Covid-19 patients develop acute kidney injury due to the infection,” said Dr Rajesh Nair, professor and head, Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplants, Amrita Hospital, Kochi.Kidney patients are highly vulnerable to the pandemic, with those having pre-existing kidney disease developing serious complications due to Coronavirus.
“Morbidity and mortality due to Covid are much higher in chronic kidney patients, especially those who are undergoing dialysis treatment,” said Dr Rajesh at a renal transplant meet ‘Punarjani’ organised by the hospital last week.“Covid-19 infection can damage kidneys directly, or cause injuries indirectly to them due to severe inflammation called cytokine storm or excessive blood clotting. Many of them experience renal shutdown. Some patients may need temporary hemodialysis treatment, mostly those who develop complications of Covid pneumonia and require ventilator support. WKidney transplant recipients are more prone to Covid as they are on immunosuppressants,” said Dr Rajesh.
Due to fear of Covid-19, many patients with comorbidities were reluctant to visit hospitals and many struggled with the worsening of their condition as well. “During lockdown and the initial days of the spread of the disease, it was very difficult to treat even those undergoing chemo sessions. Many had to go through difficulties as well but now we have managed to make people aware of the seriousness of delaying treatment,” said a Cochin Cancer Research Centre official.
Meanwhile, according to Dr Anup R Warrier, infectious disease expert, lung damage and Covid-recovered patients turning up with severe pneumonia are the major manifestations of Covid-19. “Slow progression of lung damage over weeks resulting in some kind of permanent or long-lasting damage. Then, people getting better initially and then coming back with severe pneumonia are noticed. It can be known only in future the real damage Covid-19 has done to people,” said Dr Anup.