Covid patients show new symptoms; impact on brain post infection: Report

As India continues to reel under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, patients are now reporting new, non-specific symptoms, which include chest pain and diarrhoea, leading to a heart attack.

India on Thursday added 12,608 new Covid-19 infections and 72 deaths, according to the Union health ministry data. While the common symptoms of Covid, include headache, fever, cough, cold, throat irritation and body ache, experts have now warned of newer symptoms, according to a report published in the Economic Times.

In an interview with ET, Akshay Budhraja, senior consultant, respiratory and sleep medicine at Aakash Healthcare said, "The number of the acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction (heart attack) is increasing in Covid positive patients." He further added that "there are patients who report non-specific symptoms like chest pain, decreased urine output, diarrhoea and then turn out to be Covid positive."
 

According to another expert, Covid patients are now also experiencing giddiness, extreme weakness and temporary loss of smell and taste. However, the recovery period for most Covid patients is limited to a week.



In a report published on Livemint, experts have also warned about Covid-19 is likely to have an adverse neurological impact on patients with brain cysts. The report also suggested that men were more likely to suffer from severe complications.

In an interview with Livemint, Dr Manish Vaish, director, department of neurosurgery, Max Super Specialty Hospital, stated that "The symptoms of a brain cyst depend on the location and size of the cyst. Some small cysts may not show any symptoms but often become troublesome once they increase in size. Symptoms can either be because of the pressure put by a cyst on brain tissue or disruption of normal flow of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a protective fluid that creates a cushion around the brain. Headache is the most common symptom of brain cysts; therefore, it is extremely important that if a chronic headache is accompanied by any other symptoms, one should consult a specialist. Other symptoms include nausea & vomiting, hearing loss, vision loss, facial pain, balance problems, dizziness, and seizures."

While 1.2 per cent of the population is affected with brain cysts, smaller cysts mostly go unnoticed and untreated. Dr Manish Vaish also stated that "diagnosis of cysts often happen in the course of a work-up for some other reason. However, in patients where the quality of life is affected by cysts, the diagnosis is through physical examination and image tests like CT scans and MRI."

He also added that Covid patients need to take extra precautions post-Covid.