United States: COVID-19 has raised concerns among the general public and health authorities of the United States and some other countries around the globe; however, the symptoms and the virus’s effect are raising concern among the authorities who are studying the new subvariant of the virus.
According to some of the reports, certain people are witnessing mild symptoms such as fever, cough, congestion, and shortness of breath. Some people experience complex symptoms, which shows that the illness has been affecting some major organs.
In this regard, a cardiologist and director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute in North Carolina – Dr Adrian Hernandez, stated, “We see people have symptoms from almost head to toe in terms of how they feel, how they function, and what they can do,” according to American Heart Association News.
COVID-19 spike in the US!
It is to be noted that the United States entered the new year with increased COVID-19 hospital admissions. The increase prompted the health officials to advise caution and follow the important precautionary measures.
Recently, health experts have raised concerns about long-COVID – respiratory problems which can persist for weeks or months. Hernandez, while explaining the symptoms of COVID-19, mentioned that approximately hundreds of symptoms are associated with the virus.
Elaborating on the symptoms, the director of the long COVID program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California – Dr Nisha Viswanathan, stated that there are high chances that COVID-19 infection could cause lung disease as the virus affects breathing.
She was quoted saying, “I would argue that COVID-19 is not a disease of the lungs at all. It seems most likely that it is what we call a vascular and neurologic infection, affecting both nerve endings and our cardiovascular system,” according to Japan Today.
In addition to this, a neurologist and director of the Yale NeuroCovid Clinic in New Haven, Connecticut – Dr Lindsay McAlpine, stated, “SARS-CoV-2 is excellent at triggering your immune system to go from zero to 100.”
“Perhaps the viral replication is going on in the lungs and nasopharynx (the area at the top of the throat that connects the nose to the respiratory system). But the inflammation that the virus triggers is systemic,” McAlpine further said, according to Japan Today.
Body parts significantly affected by SARS-CoV-2 virus!
BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM:
McAlpine, the lead author of a 2021 study on COVID-19 strokes among people, mentioned that “the virus and the immune response can have several different effects on the brain.” Currently, she has been working on the issues related to COVID-19 and brain fog – which is one of the very common symptoms.
However, she highlighted that the major reason behind the link between COVID and brain-related issues is not known, but it is believed that the virus directly targets the brain cells. Furthermore, the experts have mentioned that the ramped-up immune response leads to clots that could lead to brain problems, as per Japan Today.
In this regard, she was quoted saying, “A lot of patients have described it as feeling like they have a concussion. And it can persist for several months after COVID, even if the initial case was mild.”
McAlpine further continued, “In addition to the cognitive impairment, we see worsening or new-onset migraines. We see new neuropathy in the legs and the arms – numbness, tingling, difficulty walking because of the neuropathy.”
HEART AND BLOOD VESSELS:
According to several reports, a COVID-19-infected person can also complain about heart-related problems, including myocarditis – which results in an irregular heartbeat. The SARS-CoV-2 virus also comes with a small concern of the dangerous clotting in the lungs and large veins.
Viswanathan stated, “Interestingly, the Gastrointestinal system’s mechanism may be a little different than what impacts the heart.” “And we have found now in multiple studies that COVID can remain in our GI tract for weeks and months after it has resolved in the rest of the body,” she added.
Elaborating on the symptoms shown by a person dealing with the gastrointestinal system, Hernandez said that the signs of gastrointestinal symptoms are clearly visible. “People can have nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” said Hernandez, as per Japan Today.
KIDNEYS:
According to a 2023 study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Kidney problems are common among people dealing with COVID-19 infection.
However, Hernandez outlined that it is unsure that the major cause of kidney problems is a virus or less intake of water or because “with a virus that can go anywhere and cause inflammation anywhere, you can have all sorts of problems.”