How to protect from post COVID conditions?

Most of covid 19 virus infected people experience post-COVID symptoms that last for weeks or months after the infection. According to WHO, these post-COVID symptoms known as a Post COVID condition or long COVID. 
WHO’s case definition for Post COVID -19 is “Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms and that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction but also others and generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new onset following initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 episode or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also fluctuate or relapse over time.” 
Even people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions while these conditions can present as different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time. 

Types of Post-COVID Conditions
New or Ongoing Symptoms
These New or Ongoing post COVID 19 Symptoms last for weeks or months after first being infected with the COVID-19 virus. Unlike some of the other types of post-COVID conditions that tend only to occur in people who had severe illness and also people who had mild illness or had no initial symptoms. According to CNC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) People commonly report experiencing different combinations of below mentioned symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Tiredness or fatigue
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities 
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating 
• Cough
• Chest or stomach pain
• Headache
• Fast-beating or pounding heart (heart palpitations)
• Joint or muscle pain
• Pins-and-needles feeling
• Diarrhea
• Sleep problems
• Fever
• Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness)
• Rash
• Mood changes
• Change in smell or taste
• Changes in menstrual period cycles

Multiorgan Effects of COVID-19
People who had severe illness of COVID-19 experience multiorgan effects or autoimmune conditions (Immune system attacks healthy cells in a body by mistakenly, causing inflammation (swelling) or tissue damage in the affected parts of the body) over a longer time with symptoms lasting for weeks or months after COVID-19 infection. Multiorgan effects can affect many, if not all, body systems, including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain functions. 
As mentioned in some of research studies, some COVID 19 infected patients have been reported to develop Guillain--Barré syndrome or systemic lupus erythematosus like autoimmune diseases, after COVID-19 infection. Moreover, research studies state that  some people, mostly children, experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) which is  a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs, during or immediately after a COVID-19 infection.

Blood clots and blood vessel problems
COVID-19 can make blood clots by attacking the endothelial cells of blood vessels and then virus binds to the ACE2 receptors present in the endothelial cell membrane. Large clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, much of the heart damage caused by COVID-19 is believed to stem from very small clots that block tiny blood vessels in the heart muscle. In addition to that, other parts of the body affected by blood clots include the lungs, legs, liver and kidneys. COVID-19 can also weaken blood vessels and cause them to leak, as a result of that long-term problems in the liver and kidneys can be happened.

Problems with mood 
People who have severe illness COVID-19 will later develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety.

Post COVID Care practices 
After recovering from coronavirus infection, everyone needs to follow a healthy lifestyle in order to maintain good health and it will be helpful to recover from some post COVID complication 

• Need to do exercise consistently
• Having a healthy diet (nutrient and supplement rich meal help to bring speed recovery)
• Work on your memory (The virus will damage your memory cells. Therefore, you have to do puzzles playing, memory games and activities that you make you think harder to regain the lost attention, cognitive thinking abilities, and memory)

The best way to prevent post-COVID conditions is preventing of COVID-19 illness by getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and following safety precautions practices. If still you did not get your booster shot, take it soon since it can help protect you and those around you.