BMC studying post-Covid-19 health issues

A beneficiary gets a dose of vaccine at a civic-run centre. Pic/Ashish Raje

In a bid to find out what the most common post-Covid complications are among Mumbaikars, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has given SevenHills Hospital - a civic-run dedicated Covid hospital - the responsibility to conduct a study.

The move was necessitated as people, after recovering from the infection, have been facing a myriad of health issues such respiratory issues, joint pain, rapid increase in sugar level, hypertension, cardiac problems, weakness and fatigue. Some have also reported mental health issues. Doctors said that some of these problems persisted for a shorter duration while some went on for a year and more.

Dr Anandrao Adsul, dean of SevenHills Hospital, said, "To study post-Covid health issues, we are following up with the patients who were admitted to our hospital. We are also checking with those who have taken the vaccine in our hospital. The hospital has called up around 6,000 people out of 3 lakh who took vaccines at the hospital and asked them about their health issues, re-infection, breakthrough infection, and other health-related issues. We are also collecting responses from the patients who are coming to the ‘Post Covid wellness clinic'. So far 2 to 3 per cent have reported post-Covid health issues."

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, "We are doing a study on post-Covid health issues and what treatment the patients are taking. We are also studying cases of reinfection among patients admitted to SevenHills Hospital. We will note what treatments they underwent the first and second times as well. This will help us know what the common and major issues are and accordingly, we will see how we can help the patients overcome this."

Dr Jalil Parker, a pulmonologist at Lilavati Hospital, said, "I have seen many patients coming with post-Covid health problems like breathing issues, weakness, joint pain, loss of muscle mass, cardiac and kidney-related issues. When Covid first hit no one knew the exact treatment for it and followed the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol. But there were changes in treatment in each wave. Steroids were also used to save some patients, and some of them may be suffering from its side effects. It will also help us to know how immunisation has worked and prepare better treatment protocols. It is good that BMC is conducting a study."

2-3
Per cent of patients who reported post-Covid issues