Serious Covid-19 patients who are discharged from the hospital may face a long road of recovery from the disease.
For them, returning home does not mean a cure, as they are still weak from the infections caused by the coronavirus.
Although Covid mainly attacks the lungs and the entire respiratory system of patients, studies show that other organs, such as the kidneys and the brain, can also suffer from the virus.
Although they no longer have the virus active in the body, these patients still show symptoms months after leaving the hospital.
Whether these complications will become permanent is too early to say, according to doctors and researchers.
At the Emílio Ribas hospital, on the west side of São Paulo, the neurologist Augusto Penalva studies neurological manifestations in severe Covid patients, such as lack of taste or smell, headache, and even difficulty thinking.
In more severe cases, the pathogen can attack the vascular system, causing thrombosis in various parts of the body, such as the lungs, the heart, or the brain.
In addition to persistent symptoms related to Covid, patients with long hospital stays may experience other treatment complications, such as limb injuries used to receive medication.
According to the coordinator of the Physiotherapy Service of Santa Casa de São Paulo, Vera Lúcia dos Santos, it is common for patients to leave the hospital with reduced respiratory capacity. Therefore, the need to undergo physical therapy.
Currently, 48 patients discharged from the hospital are undergoing rehabilitation two to three times a week for up to three months at the Santa Casa outpatient clinic.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon