In 2019 a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in China. It was named COVID-19 by World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2020. Soon it spread worldwide and by March 2020 the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. It is seen that most people completely recover from this disease within the first 3-4weeks after getting infected. However, some people continue to suffer from signs and symptoms after the initial or acute phase of COVID-19 infection. This condition is known as long COVID-19, post-COVID-19 syndrome or post-acute-sequel- SARS-CoV-2- infection (PASC).

 This article will throw light on what homeopathy can do in the treatment of this menace. 

What is long COVID?

Long COVID refers to long –term persistence of signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection after recovering initially from the original infection. 

There is no internationally- agreed definition of long COVID. However, the WHO panel consisting of researchers, clinicians, patient groups and policy-makers from different nations have decided the term post-COVID-19 and given a definition. According to WHO “Post-COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19  with symptoms that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis.”  

What are the signs and symptoms of long COVID?

Long COVID is not completely understood as yet. The symptoms vary from person to person. Intensity of symptoms ranges from mild to severe. Patient surveys have found out many such symptoms. More than 200 symptoms affecting about 10 organ systems in the body have been identified so far. Symptoms may persist from the initial infection, may follow initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 infection or maybe of new onset. The symptoms are also seen to increase or decrease or relapse over time.


 Common signs and symptoms of long COVID that linger over time are:-

  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Joint pain
  • Pain in chest
  • Cough
  • Sleep problems
  • Headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Pounding or fast heartbeat
  • Loss of taste or smell
  • Anxiety or depression
  • Fever
  • Dizziness on standing
  • Aggravation of symptoms after mental or physical exertion
  • Pink eye
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms

In rare cases long COVID can adversely affect the organs and lead to:-

  • Inflammation of heart muscle
  • Lung related problems
  • Kidney related problems
  • Hair loss
  • Rashes on the skin
  • Difficulty in concentration and memory problems

Signs and symptoms of long COVID in children are:-

  • Joint pain
  • Sore throat
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Chest pain
  • Gastrointestinal disorder
  • Nausea
  • Mood swings
  • Dizziness
  • rashes

 Can Long COVID patient spread COVID-19 infection?

Based on what is known about COVID-19 and now Long COVID the patient is infectious up to first 10 days after showing COVID-19 symptoms. The patient is not found to be infectious after this time. So chances of Long COVID patient spreading COVID-19 are very low.

What is the cause of Long COVID?

The exact cause of long COVID is not known as yet. Research is ongoing and researchers are recommending doctors closely monitor COVID-19 patients to know how their organs are working after recovery. Some researchers are speculating long COVID due to the persistence of active SARS-Cov-2 virus in the system, re-infection with the same or another variant of this virus, error with an immune response or preexisting problems such as chronic fatigue syndrome. However several factors that are likely to cause post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID-19 signs and symptoms are:-

  • Organs damaged caused by COVID-19 – COVID-19 can affect and consequently damage lungs as well as other organs such as kidneys, heart and brain. The damage to the organs can lead to complications which may linger even after COVID-19. This can manifest as heart complications, long-term breathing problems, stroke, chronic kidney impairment, and Guillain- Barre syndrome –a condition that leads to temporary paralysis.

 In some children and adults, the multisystem inflammatory syndrome occurs as a post-COVID-19 complication. In this syndrome, some tissues and organs of the body become severely inflamed and damaged.

  • Blood vessel problems and blood clots- COVID -19 can cause blood cells to clump up and develop clots. Large clots thus formed can cause damage to the heart and brain resulting in heart attack and stroke. However, most of the damage to the heart which is caused by COVID-19 is mainly due to the development of very small blood clots that can block very thin blood vessels called the capillaries in the heart muscle.

These blood clots can also affect other parts of the body such as the legs, liver, lungs and kidneys. COVID- 19 can also make the blood vessels weak which can cause them to leak. This can lead to potentially long-term problems with the kidneys and liver.

  • Fatigue and problem with mood- It is seen that people who recover from COVID-19 tend to develop chronic fatigue syndrome. It is a complex disorder which is characterized by extreme fatigue that becomes worse with mental and physical activity and does not get better with rest.

Also, people with severe COVID-19 had to be treated in the intensive care unit in the hospitals with the help of mechanical assistance to breathe such as ventilators. Due to such bad experiences, such people later tend to develop depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome.  

What are the risk factors for Long COVID?

According to the research now old age has been associated with the likelihood of developing long COVID. Also, women and those patients who had five or more symptoms during the first week of COVID-19 infection are more at risk of getting long COVID. 

However long COVID can happen to anyone whether a patient has been suffering from some previous illness or not. Long COVID has been reported in even those patients whose earlier COVID-19 signs and symptoms were mild to moderate.  

How can long COVID-19 be diagnosed?

As this condition is still not completely understood there is no single test for the diagnosis of long COVID. The doctor may recommend tests such as blood tests to rule out any other cause of the symptoms and to find out how long COVID is affecting the body.

How can long COVID be managed?

Some tips for management of long COVID are:-

  • Make a to-do list and don’t overexert
  • Try to break the difficult task into smaller ones and alternate hard and easy activities
  • Do activities throughout the day based on energy levels
  • Frequent short rests are better than a few long ones
  • Don’t stop doing tasks that cause breathlessness or else the muscles will further get weak and there will be more breathlessness on doing those tasks.
  • Gradually increase the amount of exercise. Start with short walks and simple strength exercises.
  • Lean forward on the walking stick when there is breathlessness
  • Stay in touch with friends and family to feel happy
  • Have a daily routine for better stability and a good mood
  • Stay active 
  • Try to reduce distractions to avoid forgetfulness
  • Make notes to help remember things including flexibility exercises such as yoga, stretches and strength exercises such as weight lifting, climbing stairs 

How can long COVID be treated in homeopathy?

In the conventional system of medicine, there are no specific therapeutic means to cure or treat the COVID-19 infection. Instead frequent use of painkillers, antibiotics and in some cases even steroids that are used by the conventional system of medicine can lead to many side effects in the patients. 

On the other hand, homeopathy has been found to be safe and effective in dealing with all aspects of COVID-19. The timely administration of prophylactic homeopathic medicines such as Arsenicum album and Camphora Officinalis helps in the prevention of COVID-19 in the first place.

 Apart from this several studies have found the effective response of homeopathic treatment among moderate to severely ill COVID-19 patients, when the conventional medicines have been unable to shorten or relieve the disease in them. 

Even now when the conventional system of medicine is perplexed by the long COVID problem homeopathy has a significant role to play in the treatment of post COVID complications too. It is found that the best way to treat long COVID is by boosting the immune system to help acute COVID-19 fully resolve. Homeopathy can very well help in this respect. The best homeopathic medicine for immunity is constitutional medicine. For this, a trained homeopathic physician takes a detailed case history of the patient. He tries to elicit symptoms from both the mental and physical spheres for the holistic treatment of a post-covid-19 condition or long COVID.

Commonly indicated homeopathic medicines for immunity are:-

  • Arsenicum album- It is indicated when there is excessive exhaustion after the slightest exertion, restlessness and aggravation of symptoms at night. There is an unquenchable thirst for small sips of water at small intervals. The patient tends to have burning pains which are better by applying heat to the affected part.
  • Acidum phosphoricum- It is indicated in people who have become debilitated and emaciated due to loss of vital fluids and violent acute diseases. In this, the mental debility predominates and the person lies stupefied and indifferent to the affairs of life.
  • Carbo vegetabilis- It is indicated when the vital powers are low from serious disease or loss of vital fluids. The blood tends to stagnate in the capillaries. There is weakness, flatulence with fetid odour and air hunger and the patient wants to be fanned hard.
  • Gelsimium sempervirens- It acts on the muscles and motor nerves causing weakness, functional paralysis, aching and soreness. 
  • Silicea terra- It is indicated when there is easy exhaustion, abnormal sweats, emaciation, lack of vital heat, enlarged glands and defective assimilation.


CONCLUSION

Long COVID or post- COVID-19 condition refers to the persistence of signs and symptoms of COVID-19 for more than 12 weeks after initial recovery from the disease.

Fatigue, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, joint pain, pain in the chest, cough, sleep problems, headache, muscle pain, pounding or fast heartbeat, loss of taste or smell, anxiety or depression, fever, pink eye are the common signs and symptoms of long COVID. It is seen that the long COVID is not contagious. The exact cause of the long COVID is still a topic of research.

However, the various signs and symptoms of long COVID can be attributed to factors such as organ damage, multisystem inflammatory condition, adverse effect of the disease and treatment on the psychology of COVID-19 patients, formation of blood clots and damage to the blood vessels. There are no specific tests for the diagnosis of long COVID. Management of long COVID includes tips such as staying active, avoiding mental or physical overexertion, staying in touch with friends and family and having a daily routine for good mood and stability.

For treatment of long COVID, homeopathy provides the safe and best option. In the current pandemic scenario when it is recommended to avoid going outdoors as much as possible Dr Wilmar Schwabe provides the best quality homeopathic medicines online in India.