Although Covid-19 is seen as a disease that mainly affects the lungs, it can also damage many other organs. This organ damage can increase the risk of long-term health problems.
Organs that may be affected by Covid-19 include:
Heart: Imaging tests taken months after recovery from Covid-19 have shown sustained damage to the heart muscle, even in people who experienced only mild symptoms. This may increase the risk of other complications in the future.
Lungs: The type of pneumonia that is often associated with Covid-19 can cause long-term damage to the small air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs.
Brain: Even in young people, Covid-19 can cause stroke, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that causes temporary paralysis. Covid-19 may also increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Covid-19 can cause blood cells to clump more and form clots. While large clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, many of the heart damage caused by Covid-19 is believed to result from very small clots that block small blood vessels (capillaries) in the heart muscle.
Other parts of the body affected by blood clots include the lungs, legs, liver and kidneys. Covid-19 can also weaken blood vessels and cause them to leak, which contributes to long-term problems with the liver and kidneys.
Problems with mood and fatigue
People who have severe symptoms of Covid-19 often need to be treated with intensive care. Simply experiencing this experience can cause a person to later develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety.
Because it is difficult to predict long-term results from the new Covid-19 virus, scientists are looking at the long-term effects seen in related viruses, such as the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Shumë njerëz që janë rikuperuar nga SARS kanë zhvilluar sindromën e lodhjes kronike, një çrregullim kompleks i karakterizuar nga lodhje ekstreme që përkeqësohet me aktivitetin fizik ose mendor, por nuk përmirësohet me pushimin. E njëjta gjë mund të jetë e vërtetë për njerëzit që kanë pasur Covid-19.
Shumë efekte afatgjata Covid-19 janë ende të panjohura
Ende nuk dihet se si Covid-19 do të ndikojë te njerëzit me kalimin e kohës. Sidoqoftë, studiuesit rekomandojnë që mjekët të monitorojnë nga afër njerëzit që kanë pasur Covid-19 për të parë se si funksionojnë organet e tyre pas shërimit.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Healthline, WebMD
