Post-COVID Issues Could Be Linked To Steroid Usage, Suggests A Survey By AIG Hospitals

New Delhi: India reported 41,806 fresh cases of COVID-19 on July 14. The active cases went down further to 4,32,041 and now comprise 1.46 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 97.22 per cent. As we clocked over 3 crore COVID recoveries, the incidence of Post-COVID symptoms is noticeably increasing across the country, as per a pan-India online survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) Hospitals.

AIG Hospitals, through the survey with nearly 2,000 respondents, revealed that over 40 per cent of COVID recovered patients said that they are still having symptoms, out of which weakness and fatigue were reported the maximum. Could it be due to steroid usage? The survey thinks so, as it also asked the COVID-19 recovered Indians about the usage of steroids in their treatment.

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It was revealed that a staggering 74 per cent of the hospitalised patients received steroids for quicker recovery and 53 per cent of these respondents confirmed that they had post-COVID symptoms.

On the other hand, only 36 per cent of the hospitalised respondents, who were not administered steroids, had post-COVID symptoms, suggesting that steroids increased the chances of complications. Dr. D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals explains,

We believe there is some correlation between irrational use of steroids and post COVID complications because as per the guidelines, we are supposed to give steroids to only those COVID patients who require Oxygen. Further research will be required to ascertain the steroids.

Many patients also reported newer post COVID symptoms like Insomnia, Neuropsychiatric issues among others. Dr. Reddy explained how this survey can help understand the issue of Post COVID Syndrome.

The study goes on to find out who’s more likely to suffer from post-COVID symptoms – patients who were hospitalised or those who isolated themselves at home.

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Among the patients with post-COVID symptoms, 48 per cent were hospitalised and 37.6 per cent were not, implying that those under hospital care were more likely to suffer from complications post-recovery.

We were seeing many Post-COVID patients in our hospital, and this survey gave us the true picture of this Post-COVID Syndrome. If this is an indication to go by, then we are looking at over 1 crore people in India who have recovered from COVID-19 but are still having certain symptoms, said Dr Reddy.

The survey also provides some clarity on the duration and variety of post-COVID symptoms. While 48 per cent faced symptoms for 1-3 months, the most common symptom was weakness.

To address this pertinent issue of Post-COVID complications, AIG Hospitals also announced the launch of a dedicated Post-COVID Care Clinic in Hyderabad.

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.