KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — While most people recover relatively unscathed from COVID-19, some, however, experience prolonged effects of infection, including symptoms associated with prolonged COVID-19 syndrome or later. to COVID-19.
And, according to an infectious disease expert, many Covid sufferers have reported significant deterioration in their fitness levels.
Infectious disease consultant and professor of medicine at International Medical University, Professor Dr. James Koh Kwee Choy, said that while many factors affect each individual’s experience with a long period of covid, in general, people who who are not fit to start or who have cardiovascular or respiratory disease are more likely to have significant illness. compromise your fitness levels.
However, even relatively fit people with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 have been reported to experience significant deterioration in their fitness levels after COVID-19, he added.
Recovery depends on many factors
Commenting on prolonged covid, Dr. Koh said that the effects of covid-19 are not only limited to the respiratory system, the main target of SARS-CoV2, the virus responsible for covid-19, but can also spread to other systems, including the cardiovascular, dermatologic, musculoskeletal, and neurologic systems.
“Although most people recover from Covid-19 relatively unscathed, some experience prolonged effects of the infection, including symptoms associated with long-term Covid-19 syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome.
“According to medical data, a person is said to have prolonged Covid if symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks after recovery from a Covid-19 infection. People experience a wide range of conditions, including fatigue, persistent shortness of breath, and chest pain or tightness. Some also have trouble concentrating and have other symptoms as well,” he told Bernama.
He added that many of these symptoms are subjective and not easily detected by routine investigations such as EKG and ultrasound, making it difficult to identify reliable research markers that can help diagnose the effects of prolonged covid.
“We need to know that COVID-19 can cause hyperinflammatory responses in the body, especially in severe categories of infection. How these responses affect or influence the recovery of affected organs in the body is still largely unknown. Some patients recover completely, while others seem to have residual effects weeks and months later.
“The time it takes to fully recover (from a prolonged covid) depends on many factors, including the presence of other illnesses before (contracting) covid-19,” he added.
Exercise
Emphasizing that a person’s existing fitness level can determine how quickly they recover from Covid-19, Dr. Koh noted the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and healthy eating and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
As for exercising after recovering from COVID-19, Dr. Koh said exercise is generally not recommended if a person still has symptoms. People with pre-existing heart or lung problems should consult their doctor before resuming exercise.
“There are important issues to consider before you jump in and start exercising after Covid-19. What worries us most is the risk of myocarditis, a known complication in post-Covid-19 patients that can be fatal. Chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath are symptoms of myocarditis. The important thing is to listen to your body,” she advised.
Meanwhile, personal trainer and triathlete Shen Choo opined that exercising is one of the best ways to regain fitness level after Covid-19.
Having contracted and recovered from Covid-19 in March of this year, Shen’s advice to those embarking on a post-Covid-19 fitness journey is to start slowly and keep a journal of how you feel after each workout session. exercise. This will help determine what works for them and how their body responds.
“Start with gentle exercises like yoga stretches. It is something you can do even if you have Covid-19. It helps with blood circulation and will make you feel better. Stretching includes simple movements like twisting your arms and hugging your knees to your chest.
“Every time I moved a little bit (when I had covid-19), I felt a little better. There is a lot of pain in the joints, so when you move, you activate the circulation. Endorphins are also activated and this helps relieve some of the pain,” she added.
However, covid-19 has affected Shen’s resilience. Being a triathlete, Shen is used to running stretches of more than 10 kilometers, but after Covid-19 she found that she could not run more than three kilometers.
“However, with regular gentle exercises, my body is slowly returning to normal,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Koh said that the path to full recovery of fitness levels after Covid-19 is highly individualized, as it would depend on a person’s pre-existing fitness level and the presence of other comorbidities such as diabetes. mellitus, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, as well as habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
“Some guidelines recommend an extended incremental exercise load over weeks to slowly regain fitness level. Ideally, this should be done under the supervision of trained personnel or supervised by a doctor.
“It is true that a person with few or no risk factors tends to regain their fitness level faster. However, some patients never really return to their pre-Covid-19 level of fitness, although this may be possible with more time.
“But more importantly, any improvement in one’s fitness level after Covid-19 is still considered beneficial,” he said. — Bernama
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