Covid-19: 18 possible complications (2023)

People who have contracted Covid-19, including those who have developed a mild form of the infection, have aincreased risk of deathsix months after diagnosisA studyby researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint-Louis, USA, published in the journalNature.

Contrary to what was assumed at the beginning of the pandemic,complicationswith reference toCoronavirusTherefore, they are not reserved for severe cases. However, the same study states that the more severe the case of Covid-19, the greater the risk of long-term health problems.

Furthermore, mosttodthat can be attributed to the coronavirus are actually the result of the complications it causes, and not of the virus itself: bacterial superinfection, pneumonia, liver damage, heart problems... We list them hereslideshow.

Covid-19 carries the risk of heart failure

Among the most recently observed complications areheart damageare currently raising many questions. Because if the impactbreathingof Covid-19 (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, etc.), its effects on the heart are less well known.

However, cardiovascular problems have been observed in coronavirus patients, some of which did not manifest themselves.no underlying heart disease. This shows another US study published in the journalJAMA Kardiologie.

This risk is also possible without a history of cardiovascular disease.

“This is likely to be the case even without prior heart disease.Herzmuskelmay be affected by a diseaseCoronavirus” emphasizes Pr. Mohammad Madjid of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center and lead author of the study. However, he specifies that "the risk is greater in patients whoI already have heart disease“.

research onprevious outbreaksof coronaviruses and influenza suggest that viral infections cause acute coronary syndromes, arrhythmias, and the development or worsening of aheart failuresay the study authors.

However, the risk is higher with comorbidity.

The authors of the study specify that Covid-19 "is associatedinflammatory loadwhich can cause vascular inflammation, myocarditis and cardiac arrhythmia".

Until a treatment is developed, they recommend controlling any risk factors that increase risk.todafter SARS-CoV-2 infection. Namely: themasculine,advanced ageand the presence ofcomorbidities, especially thehypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

inner ear infections

18/01

A study published in the journal Nature Communications Medicine in October 2021 shows that ear infections may be a complication of COVID-19.

Researchers who followed 10 COVID-19 patients with auditory symptoms such as hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction, and tinnitus confirmed that the coronavirus can reach the ears. According to this, the virus could enter the brain space and infect the cranial nerves, including the one connected to the inner ear. The coronavirus can also attack hair cells and Schwann cells in the inner ear.

"Our results suggest that inner ear infection may be an important cause of hearing and balance problems associated with COVID-19," they wrote.

Ateminsuffizienz aguda

18/02

In acute respiratory failure, the lungs cannot pump enough oxygen into the blood and/or remove enough carbon dioxide. Lack of oxygen and CO2 overload can affect other vital organs (heart, brain) and lead to death.

A small study of 68 Chinese who died from COVID-19 found acute respiratory failure to be the leading cause of death.

acute respiratory distress syndrome

"Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a type of respiratory failure that results from many different abnormalities," states the Merck Manual. These are "responsible for the accumulation of fluid in the lungs and excessive depletion of oxygen in the blood." This is a medical emergency. Affected individuals may require mechanical assistance for breathing.

At the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in China, one of the most common complications was acute respiratory distress syndrome.

a pneumonia

18/03

The first sign of the new coronavirus outbreak was an increase in pneumonia. This acute respiratory infection leads to inflammation of the air sacs in the lungs. Normally, when you breathe, they fill with air. In pneumonia, they fill with pus and fluid, which reduces oxygen uptake and causes pain.

Scientists examining X-rays of the lungs of Covid-19 patients found that their organs were filled with fluid, pus and cellular debris.

acute liver damage

18/04

It is the patients most affected by Covid-19 who are most at risk of developing liver damage. Researchers do not yet know if it is the virus that is damaging the liver or if the damage is caused by something else. Acute liver damage and liver failure are life-threatening complications.

To know everything about the coronavirus, Fondation du souffle, March 3, 2020.

Potential Effects of Coronavirus on the Cardiovascular System, JAMA Cardiology, March 27, 2020.

Pneumonia, WHO, August 2, 2019.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), MSD Manual, March 2018.

https://news.mit.edu/2021/sars-cov-2-inner-ear-1029

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), MSD Manual, July 2018.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), MSD Manual, July 2018.

https://source.wustl.edu/2021/04/entre-covid-19-supervivientes-un-mayor-riesgo-de-muerte-enfermedad-grave/

see more