Care needed after recovering from Covid

After being tested negative for COVID-19, many patients still have health problems, difficulty breathing, heart beats fast, and foggy thoughts. Complaints that arise after recovery or so-called post COVID-19 this needs to be examined further to help the patient get the right treatment for his condition.

How important is care after recovering from COVID-19?

COVID-19 infection can affect many organs in the body, from the lungs, the heart, to the kidneys. Some people can completely recover completely immediately after testing negative for COVID-19, but not a few still feel the long-term effects of this viral infection.

Many COVID-19 survivors are still struggling with symptoms of lingering health problems, not only for one or two weeks but for months even though they are declared to have recovered from infection. Problems complained of include difficulty breathing, coughing, fever, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, heart palpitations, and digestive problems.

Effect post COVID – 19 like this requires further treatment to find out the root of the problem, especially for patients who previously underwent treatment at intensive unit care (ICU). Many studies suggest that adults with severe comorbid illness and spending weeks in the ICU are more likely to experience long-term effects after infection.

But in the case of COVID-19, these long-term effects did not only occur in patients with severe symptoms. Those who experience mild symptoms to people without symptoms can experience long-term effects after being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently studied non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The study found that the condition of 1 in 3 respondents did not return to the same shape as before being infected with COVID-19 until 21 days passed after being infected.

Recovering from a COVID-19 infection with severe symptoms is difficult, as is recovery. Therefore, further treatment after recovering from this pandemic is important.

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The importance of follow-up care

Of the symptoms that COVID-19 patients still feel, feeling tired is often one of the most complained of health problems.

Head of Medical Division of Mayapada Hospital, South Jakarta, Dr. Melanie Vandauli Febiola, said there are two possibilities that cause fatigue in patients post COVID-19. First, because of physical disturbance. Second, it is caused by psychological problems.

In terms of physical health, Melanie explained, mostly due to disrupted metabolism after infection.

"When fighting infection, the body is hypercatabolic or uses excessive energy. When the virus is gone, the hypercatabolic state is still there. So the body is still adapting, ”said Melanie to Hello Sehat on Tuesday (24/11).

Another cause is a problem in the patient's lungs which reduces oxygen uptake. This is due to the presence of scar tissue or scars in the lungs after infection which reduces the ability of these organs.

In addition, fatigue can also be caused by psychological problems that arise during infection. In each patient, the cause of this condition can be different.

"So there are many factors that we can see why fatigue is often present in patients post COVID-19. But it does not rule out, anxiety or psychological problems that make him feel tired, "said Melanie.

Mayapada Hospital's pulmonary specialist, Jaka Pradipta, conveyed the importance of follow-up care after recovering from COVID-19 to anticipate dangerous health problems. "Some who have recovered from COVID-19 suddenly have a heart attack because their blood clotting problem has never been checked," said Jaka giving an example of a case.

"We recommend that you carry out health checks and evaluations after recovering from COVID-19, especially for symptomatic ones," he said later.

How is post covid-19 symptom treatment done?

Examination after recovering from COVID-19 can be carried out to a specialist doctor according to the perceived complaint, for example a pulmonary specialist for those who feel breathing problems. Even so, complaints post COVID-19 syndrome requires a thorough examination before determining what action is required.

Jaka said care for every patient post COVID-19 is different for each individual.

In Jakarta, special treatment for patients who experience long-term symptoms of coronavirus infection has only been provided by the Mayapada Hospital at Post Covid Recovery & Rehabilitation Center (PCRR Center).

This unit is handled by doctors with various backgrounds such as pulmonary specialists, heart specialists, internal medicine specialists, rehabilitation specialists, psychiatrists, and several other fields.

Patients who come to the PCCR Center will do a physical examination first. After that, it is followed by blood tests to see how the impact of COVID-19 on several organs such as the kidneys, pancreas, liver, and risk factors for blood clots.

The entire examination is useful for doctors to find out whether the patient's complaints are caused by physical or psychological factors. After determining the cause of long-term symptoms after recovering from COVID-19, patients will be given treatment according to the results of the examination. The treatment in question is for example respiratory muscle therapy, medications to the affected organ, or psychological consultation.

Care center post COVID-19 in hospitals does offer holistic care to help patients recover to normal conditions.