In March this year, Joanna Herman, an infectious disease consultant from London, became one of the patients with a mild case of New Crown pneumonia. He was not admitted to hospital, and his acute symptoms disappeared 12 days after the onset of the disease, thinking he would be back to work the following week. But nine months later, he was still suffering from “chronic neocon” symptoms – chest pain, severe fatigue after short walks. When the situation is bad, even normal conversation is very difficult.
Researchers say that of the more than 46 million new coronary cases worldwide, at least millions of patients like Herman suffer from “chronic new coronary” symptoms, including memory loss, severe fatigue, irregular heart rhythms and even disability. But to the surprise of many scientists, it is not only the severely ill who are affected, but also the many infected people who, like Herman, are mildly ill and do not even need to be admitted to a hospital, but also have serious sequelae after “recovery.
What is a “chronic new crown”?
According to a study published in August in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), “chronic neocoronary pneumonia” is defined as a condition with symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks from the onset of the disease, and the study estimates that about 10 percent of all patients diagnosed have “chronic neocoronary” symptoms, while many other related studies have estimated the proportion to be higher. Many other related studies have estimated the proportion to be higher than this figure.
Symptoms can involve all body systems, including memory loss, cognitive problems, severe fatigue, digestive problems, irregular heart rhythms, headaches, unstable blood pressure, and, according to the National Institutes of health (NIH), severe disability.
In the early stages of the epidemic, many areas with inadequate medical resources prioritized the treatment of severely ill patients, while the less severely ill were advised to stay home. In April, medical staff at a U.S. hospital specializing in the treatment of newly crowned patients were shown treating patients in the intensive care unit.
Many patients, including Herman, who were mildly ill and young with no history of serious illness, developed symptoms later in life that had not occurred before “recovery. Elizabeth Moore, a 43-year-old U.S. attorney, said she was “ecstatic to have beaten the disease” when she improved in late April, but the same month she tested positive for antibodies, her health deteriorated dramatically, with tachycardia, unstable blood pressure and even gastrointestinal problems. she had lost nearly 14 pounds since she got sick in March. Some symptoms have subsided with the help of medication, but memory loss remains a problem.
Available studies have not yet determined how long it takes for long-term patients to recover, but a study of long-term sequelae in Wuhan showed that physical dysfunction and complications can last for at least six months in some patients who recover.
Why does the “ghost” persist?
While many pandemic diseases – such as SARS, MERS, Ebola and H1N1 influenza – can cause long-term symptoms such as sleep problems and muscle pain that may persist even after the virus has been eliminated from the body, experts say the effects of the new coronavirus are broader than other infectious viruses, including the heart, kidneys, digestive system and nervous system.
The reasons for the long-term effects are inconclusive. One major theory is that after the virus has disappeared, the immune system activity and inflammatory response triggered by the previous virus are still affecting various organs or the nervous system; another theory is that the virus may have cleared most of the body’s organs but still lingers in individual sites; and a combination of factors may be responsible.
What to do?
Professor David strain from the University of Exeter in the UK warns that if the cause of the long-term symptoms is not found, treatment will be difficult to determine. A number of leading medical journals, including The Lancet and the British Medical Journal, have recently written articles calling for more in-depth research and scientific evidence to fill the gap in knowledge about this chronic disease.
But at the same time, other sectors of society should also take proactive steps to address the problem. David Putrino, a rehabilitation physician from New York, said most of them do not get better on their own and need at least six months of systematic rehabilitation. In November, 40 designated clinics were launched in the United Kingdom to help people with “chronic neocon” cope with multiple physical and psychological problems.
In addition, the article “Stabbing Needles” points out that in the absence of a clear clinical definition of “chronic neocon” and the lack of effective treatments, it is important for healthcare practitioners to listen to patients’ experiences and concerns. The lack of understanding of neocon symptoms at the beginning of the epidemic taught us that honest patient-physician communication and certification of symptoms directly affects outcomes, and that “those mistakes should not be repeated in the response to chronic neocon disease.
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