Japanese doctors warn of long-lasting COVID-19 aftereffects among young people

Doctors warn that many people who contract the coronavirus, especially younger patients, suffer from aftereffects for a long time despite being tested negative for the virus.

“Most of them are in their 40s or younger. The government needs to take the issue seriously and take side effects, ”said one of the doctors.

The aftereffects include malaise and respiratory distress. In very severe cases, patients lay in bed although a mild case of COVID-19 was diagnosed with the virus.

To date in Japan, there are few medical centers that treat patients suffering from such lasting effects.

Kaai Akimoto, 30-year president of a nursing care company, was diagnosed with the virus in November and her sense of taste had not returned since January. “I wonder how long it will last,” she said.

She sought the advice of an otolaryngologist who told her nothing could be done. Another doctor prescribed her traditional method kampō herbal medicine, but her condition did not improve.

Lately, she’s having a hard time eating because hot food smells weird to her.

Akimoto has been sharing her experience on Twitter. “It simply came to our notice then, and many people are scared. I hope I can help people deepen their understanding. ”

Studies on the long-term effects of coronavirus disease are ongoing in some countries such as Italy and the United States.

In Japan, the National Center for Global Health and Medicine last year conducted a telephone study of coronavirus patients discharged from hospitals. They collected responses from 63 people.

The study found that, in some cases, people had difficulty breathing, malaise, and olfactory disorders (reduced ability to smell) four months after they started showing symptoms of COVID-19.

There were also cases where patients suffered hair loss several months after becoming infected, the center said.

No treatment has been established for the long-term effects of COVID-19, said Hiroshi Odaguchi, general director of the Kitasato University Oriental Medicine Research Center. “I believe that doctors are struggling to respond.”

The Hirahata Clinic, which has surveyed about 700 such patients nationwide, said 95% complained of malaise, while more than 80% felt depressed and debilitated. ability to think.

About 30% of patients were in their 40s while nearly 50% were teenagers to 30s, the clinic said. The number of women among patients was 1.4 times greater than men.

Koichi Hirahata, head of the clinic, suspects that “cytokine storm,” an autoimmune reaction in which a patient’s immune system attacks healthy organs, may be one of the reasons for the -aftereffects long-term.

It is also suspected that women are more likely to suffer from menopause than men because they report autoimmune diseases more often.

It is important for people who have received COVID-19 to stop exercising for a period of time, Hirahata said, warning that just taking a tour of the condition can be debilitating.

“In one case, a patient lay in bed after strenuous exercise and was expelled from the workplace,” he said. “I want the government to take the problem seriously by taking steps such as making the case known to the public so that patients suffering from dementia do not suffer. feedback. ”