LONG Covid has the potential to be fatal, Associate Professor Dr Tan Toh Leong, who is an emergency physician at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital’s emergency department, said.

Tan said there are two categories of Long Covid patients who can be particularly at risk of succumbing to the virus.

The first category is known as the Ongoing Symptomatic Covid-19, which occurs within four to 12 weeks after infection. The second is known as post-Covid-19 syndrome, which sets in 12 weeks after infection.

There are two possible mechanisms that lead to Long Covid. The first is when the virus stays in the system and persists in the body.

It often affects those with poor immunity, the elderly and those with existing health conditions such as cancer, who have become immunocompromised after chemotherapy.

The symptoms persist up to a month after being diagnosed.

“These groups of patients do not have the antibodies to counter the virus so it stays in the body longer. It is like a symbiosis,” he said.

“As for the second mechanism, even though the body has managed to get rid of the virus, the patient suffers from antibody exhaustion. It’s like fighting a big war and the body has yet to recover.”

He said some patients will not eat well when they are infected with Covid-19 as they have lost their appetite as well as sense of taste and smell. This can lead to malnourishment.

“This is especially the case with those in stages 4 and 5 and were warded in the intensive care units (ICU).

He said a prolonged stay in the ICU and under ventilator support may hamper the body’s ability to get the required nutrition.

“These two groups (those in stages 4 and 5) have a higher risk of death. If the virus persists in the body, there is definitely a higher risk of patient body exhaustion,” Tan said, reminding that there isn’t an anti-viral drug yet for Covid-19.

He said Long Covid patients are usually required to attend rehabilitation, which entails nursing organs back to health.

“Usually an appointment will be set up for a doctor to assess whether the patient has Long Covid,” he said.

Tan said lethargy, difficulty in breathing, loss of appetite and feeling weak are some of the tell-tale signs of Long Covid.

He said patients should get themselves checked if they feel unwell and tired two to four weeks after recovering from Covid-19, especially for those in stages 4 and 5.

Former Covid-19 patients should drink lots of water, he advises.

“During the infection, eat a high protein and high fat diet as much as possible and supplement with vitamins,” he said.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said there were 5,193 Long Covid patients receiving treatment and rehabilitation as at October 30.

Meanwhile, between November last year and September this year, the Sg Buloh Hospital Covid-19 Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialised Services (Cross) saw 2,712 ongoing symptomatic cases. Of this number, 13 patients died.

Deaths from Long Covid have been reported previously.

A study published in the journal Nature in April found that former Covid-19 patients had a 60% increased risk of death from long-term complications in the six months after the initial infection.

Heart failure, stroke and chronic kidney disease, were some of the potential complications that can take place among former Covid-19 patients, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri.

The study involved more than 87,000 people who had been infected with Covid-19.

It added that hospitalised patients who were under ICU care were at the highest risk of Long Covid-19 complications and death. – November 27, 2021.