The COVID-19 persistent led the Association for Health Self-Care (anefp) to promote the “I Advice Document for the Approach to Patients with Mild Symptoms of Persistent COVID“. In which the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG) have participated. As well as the Spanish Society of Clinical, Family and Community Pharmacy (SEFAC). The General Council of Nursing, the General Council of Psychology of Spain and the association of patients Long COVID ACTS.
Persistent Covid: Experts divide proposals into four areas
In this documententitled “The management of patients with mild symptoms derived from COVID-19: The contribution of community pharmacists, Primary Care physicians, nurses and psychologists”. Guidelines are established on what is persistent covid, what are mild symptoms. As well as 27 recommendations for health personnel on their treatment.
The experts divide the proposals into four areas: identification of patients with mild symptoms, information and communication, treatment of mild symptoms and collaboration between professionals.
Most frequent symptoms
The guide establishes that persistent covid consists of those cases in which the symptoms are causally and temporally related with a clinical diagnosis and/or supported by laboratory tests of a previous infection by SARS-CoV-2.
Mild symptoms are considered to be all those that are not related to other health problems. patient health or with medication and that can be relieved with symptomatic treatment.
Pilar Rodríguez, vice president of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians, explains to EFEsalud that “these symptom They can be given at the same time or in different periods.
“Although we do not have official records, we know that between 70 and 80% of cases suffer from neurological symptoms. 50% suffer from headache and 90% from mental fog and attention deficit”, explains the doctor.
Many patients with persistent covid also suffer muscle pains, loss of smell and taste, tachycardia or chest pain, among others.
Although the symptoms they fluctuate over time and are not always the same, can be accentuated in a crisis. However, the vast majority of those affected have not required hospital admission.
Persistent Covid: According to the WHO there are three post-COVID symptoms that prevail
There are three post-COVID-19 symptoms that prevail, says Dr. Janet Diaz, director of clinical management for WHE at the World Health Organization (WHO).
“There are three common symptoms of the post-COVID condition: one is fatigue, the second is shortness of breath or shortness of breath, and the third is cognitive dysfunction.” Says Dr. Diaz.
But these are only three, actually there are more than 200 symptoms described in the literature of patients who have had or have a post-COVID-19 condition, adds the WHO.
Tiredness
After COVID-19, many people have experienced fatigue. Fatigue is a normal response of the body when fighting a viral infection. This condition persists in an individual for weeks. Experts have said that fatigue is a fairly common symptom found in all patients who are recover from COVID-19.
Short of breath
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath with minimal physical activity is common in people who have been infected with COVID-19.
cognitive dysfunction
COVID-19 affects the normal brain function. “That’s a fancy term for what’s commonly known as brain fog. And what does that mean? That means that people have problems with your care, problems with concentration, problems with memory or memory, problems sleeping, problems with the executive”. working,” says Dr. Díaz.
In addition, the COVID-19 it affects cognitive functioning in many people.
cardiovascular symptoms
The expert also talks about one of the impacts most important and serious COVID-19 which is related to heart health.
“Cardiovascular symptoms can present themselves in different ways. They can present as shortness of breath, shortness of breath has already been described, but they can also present as heart palpitations. The heart is racing or what we call arrhythmias and other cardiac symptoms can present as myocardial infarctions”, says the WHO expert.
Now, there’s been a recent report looking at the patients who had COVID-19, and followed up a year later. And this report came from a cohort in the United States, and they found an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and complications.
Some reported having a strokean acute myocardial infarction, which means a heart attack or other causes of thrombosis or blood clots and even death.
When should people start worrying that they might have prolonged COVID?
“In our case definition, we say that people should start to worry about three months after their acute COVID-19 illness. That gives some people time to recover from the acute infection, even if they have had a mild illness or a more severe illness. After three months, that’s when we say, if you have one of these symptoms, then worry because you might have a post-COVID-19 condition.”
Related Notes:
Covid-19 shrinks the brain, even though the infection is mild: study
Things that should NEVER be done with foreign patients
The 10 negative behaviors that a Medical Resident must avoid at ALL COSTS