The looming threat of Long Covid Premium

Long Covid, a condition where a patient suffers from COVID-19 symptoms long after recovering from the infection, has become an issue of concern.

Long Covid, a condition where a patient suffers from COVID-19 symptoms long after recovering from the infection, has become an issue of concern.

Speaking about the orthopaedic problems arising in Long Covid patients, Dr. A.V. Gurava Reddy, surgeon and chairman of Sunshine Bone and Joint Institute, says that earlier, he used to see four to five hip joint patients in a month. However, now, he is coming across 10 patients a week.

COVID-19 has created a lot of problems in the hip joint for a lot of young patients suffering from a blood supply block called Avascular Necrosis. Most of them are suffering from this due to the steroid intake during COVID-19. Earlier, people had other reasons, like alcoholism. Some were even idiopathic, where the cause is unknown. But today, COVID-19 has become the new cause.

Dr. Reddy adds that Covid hip is mainly hurting the young male population between the age of 25 to 35 years. Unable to bear the pain, a few are even opting for hip replacement.

The most common symptoms of Long Covid include weakness, fatigue, and lethargy. Most people are always complaining of on-and-off fevers and decreased immunity as they are unable to do the activities they would do before the pandemic.

Dr. Krupan Kumar, Senior Consultant Physician at Apollo Hospitals, said that such people need to work on building their immunity, which can happen through regular exercise and good food. “Before COVID-19, we would not see all these symptoms. But today, very often, people are presenting with such conditions,” he says.

Dr Krupan is seeing four to five patients with Long Covid symptoms per week. Patients who have been vaccinated have been found to have serious effects.