Japanese doctors warn of the long-term effects of COVID-19 among young people

Doctors warn that many people who get the coronavirus, especially younger patients, suffer from side effects over a long period of time, even though they have subsequently been negative for the virus.

“Most are over 40 years old. The government must take the issue seriously and implement countermeasures, “said one of the doctors.

Side effects include discomfort and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, patients stayed asleep even though they had been diagnosed with a mild case of COVID-19 caused by the virus.

To date, in Japan, there are not many medical institutions that treat patients with such lasting effects.

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

He sought the advice of an otolaryngologist who told him that nothing could be done. Another doctor prescribed the traditional one camp phytotherapy, but his condition did not improve.

He has recently found it difficult to eat because hot food smells weird to him.

Akimoto has been sharing his experience on Twitter. “There is little information and many people are afraid. I hope to be able to help people deepen their understanding. ”

In some countries such as Italy and the United States, studies are being conducted on the lasting effects of coronavirus infections.

In Japan, the National Center for Global Health and Medicine conducted a telephone survey last year on coronavirus patients who had been discharged from hospitals. They collected responses from 63 people.

The survey found that in some cases, people continued to experience breathing difficulties, general malaise, and olfactory disorders (decreased sense of smell) four months after they began to show symptoms of COVID-19.

There were also cases where patients experienced hair loss several months after contracting the disease, the center said.

No treatment has been established for the long-term COVID-19 effects, said Hiroshi Odaguchi, director general of the Center for Oriental Medicine Research at Kitasato University. “I think doctors have a hard time responding.”

The Hirahata Clinic, which has examined about 700 such patients nationwide, said 95% complained of discomfort, while more than 80% experienced depressed mood and reduced thinking ability.

About 30 percent of patients were in their forties, while nearly 50 percent had an adolescence through their thirties, the clinic said. The number of women among all patients was 1.4 times that of men.

Koichi Hirahata, head of the clinic, suspects that a “cytokine storm,” a severe autoimmune response in which a patient’s immune system attacks healthy organs, could be one of the causes of long-term side effects.

She also suspects that women are more likely to suffer from the side effects than men, as they report autoimmune diseases more often.

It is important that people who have recovered from COVID-19 refrain from exercising for a while, Hirahata said, warning that just walking can cause their condition to deteriorate.

“In one case, a patient stayed in bed after exercising by force and was fired from the workplace,” he said. “I want the government to take the issue seriously by taking steps such as making the public aware of the issue so that patients suffering from the side effects do not face disadvantages.”