The Many Symptoms of COVID
Covid cases are continuing to rise in Utah. And the longer the pandemic goes on, the more we are learning that COVID-19 can be much more of a systemic disease than just attacking the lungs. In many patients it causes large and microscopic blood clots, leading to strokes and heart attacks, pulmonary emboli, kidney and brain damage. It can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms, and “Covid” toes and fingers by attacking the blood vessels. It can either attack and damage the immune system, or make it hyperactive which can also damage healthy tissue in any organ.
This graphic came from an article by the Washington Post that covers the various symptoms of COVID-19.
In fact, any of these “non-lung” disorders may be the initial or primary manifestation of the disease. There is an increasing awareness of it also causing a rare inflammatory disease in children, much like Kawasaki disease, called, “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.” Over 80 cases of this disorder have been seen, and five patients have died from it just in New York. “We were laboring under the impression that young people were not affected by Covid-19. We’re not so sure that that is the fact anymore.”
Many patients who have “recovered” and test negative are finding that the body aches, fatigue and shortness of breath still haven’t gone away many weeks later.
We implore everyone to continue to be careful, vigilant, wear masks, and maintain social distancing as much as possible.