'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors

Continual illness after contracting Covid-19, sometimes referred to as "long Covid" may not affect just the respiratory system, but brain and kidneys too among others, doctors on Thursday said. 

Britain's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in a preliminary report on long-term Covid-19, observed that people with the deadly virus, including the ones who were infected seven months or more time ago, have symptoms appear in one area of the body, which abates and rises again in different parts. 

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"This review highlights the detrimental physical and psychological impact that ongoing COVID is having on many people's lives," said Dr Elaine Maxwell, the lead author of the study, reported news agency Reuters. 

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Thousands of people across the world have taken to social media to share their experiences of ongoing coronavirus symptoms. Some describe themselves as "long haulers", while others call their situation "long Covid".

Data from UK-based patient group LongCovidSOS, King’s College London's symptom tracker app found 10 per cent of patients remain unwell after three weeks post the infection and up to 5 per cent continue to remain sick for months. 

In an online briefing, Maxwell said health services are struggling "to manage these new and fluctuating patterns of symptoms and problems".

For this report, Maxwell and his team took testimonies of 14 members of a Facebook group called Long COVID.

Maxwell said their testimonies suggest that the symptoms fluctuate in severity and move around the body including the respiratory system, kidneys, brain, gut, liver, cardiovascular system and skin. 

"There are powerful stories that ongoing COVID symptoms are experienced by people of all ages, and people from all backgrounds," the report said.