Filenews 18 February 2021
Long-term problems in muscles and joints, such as arthritis, gangrene and the so-called 'Covid finger', can cause the coronavirus, according to a new study.
In its study, the team from Northwestern University in the US used various techniques such as CT and MRI and ultrasound to visualize the causes of gangrene and other long-term problems in muscles and joints in patients with coronavirus.
"We found that COVID-19 can cause the body to attack itself in different ways, which can lead to rheumatological problems that require lifelong management," said Swati Deshmukh, who led the study.
'This imaging allows us to see if the muscle and joint pain associated with the coronavirus is not similar to that of the flu but something more insidious,' according to the Daily Mail.
Previous studies have also found a link between coronavirus infection and pain in muscles or joints, but it is the first time these symptoms are reflected through radiological scans.
Gangrene can occur after injury, infection or because of a long-term condition that affects blood circulation. The scientist explained that there are many key signs that doctors need to watch out for.
"We may detect swelling and inflammatory changes in tissues, hematomas or gangrene," he said. "In some patients, nerves are injured, while in others, clots appear."
According to the British newspaper, an 86-year-old Italian woman with coronavirus was forced to undergo a three-finger amputation on her hands as the disease hit her blood vessels, causing her fingers to turn black.
The elderly woman did not have the common symptoms of coronavirus, such as fever, cough, loss of smell or taste. Experts are not sure why the virus caused these problems, but estimate that an overreaction of the immune system known as the "cytokine storm" is to blame.
The report also mentions the case of a 54-year-old man from Studio City, California, who lost two of his fingers as a result of extensive tissue and muscle damage after being diseased by a coronavirus last February. He was one of the first Covid-19 patients in California and doctors had given him a 1% chance of surviving the virus when he was admitted to the hospital last spring.
The 54-year-old was an athlete who had never been seriously ill and severe symptoms forced him to spend three days in his hotel room during a trip to Italy in February 2020.
Within just two days of returning home and being admitted to hospital, his oxygen levels dropped and he was intubated. The American patient raised a high fever, dropped blood pressure dangerously, had a staphylococcus infection and sepsis all over his body. Eight of his fingers were damaged due to poor blood circulation.
According to the same source, a British patient from Cardiff lost his left thumb, a index finger and a half finger last year after being ill with coronavirus. He spent 61 days intubated and doctors had given him "almost zero" chance of survival after he was admitted to hospital. The patient managed to survive but lost his sight in his right eye, as well as a few fingers of his hands.
Source: news.in.gr
