The devastation of long Covid – Everything from science to symptoms

Patients battle a ‘blanket of fatigue’: Inside Groote Schuur Hospital’s long Covid clinic

By Biénne Huisman for Spotlight

Doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital’s Post-Covid-19 Lung Disease Clinic are treating patients who have recovered from Covid-19 but who suffer lingering symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath.

Dr Rubeshan Perumal is a pulmonologist at Groote Schuur’s Post-Covid-19 Lung Disease Clinic. (Photo: Nasief Manie / Spotlight)

Covid-19: The evolving science behind long Covid

By Kathryn Cleary for Spotlight

A study published in the Lancet medical journal confirms that the health effects of Covid-19 can linger months after someone has ‘recovered’. Spotlight asked local experts about the underlying science and whether the South African public healthcare system is ready for so-called long Covid.

My mind is often racing ahead with everything I want and need to do, but my body can suddenly stop me in the middle of an action, and there is absolutely nothing I can do to complete that task in the moment. (Photo: heart.org / Wikipedia)

Still many unknowns, but long Covid is real and deserves support for rehabilitation, says expert

By Ufrieda Ho

There is still no test to diagnose long Covid and also no cure. It’s the fallout from the pandemic that is fast becoming a mounting health concern.

Long Covid is estimated to affect between 10 to 30% of all people infected, which means that already between 150 to 450 million people could be suffering long-term post-viral effects. (Photo: Wikipedia)

SA at forefront of long Covid research, with microclots offering vital clues

By Adele Baleta

Professor Resia Pretorius and her colleagues at the University of Stellenbosch are at the cutting edge of research into one of the most likely causes of long Covid – inflammatory microclots.

The presence of persistent microclots in the blood of long Covid patients stop cells getting enough oxygen in the tissues to sustain bodily functions. This cellular hypoxia may underpin numerous debilitating symptoms, hypothesises Dr Resia Pretorius of Stellenbosch University. (Photo: Facebook)

Hair loss and lower libido among long Covid symptoms – new research

By Shamil Haroon and Anuradhaa Subramanian

Long Covid sufferers may have experienced a wider variety of symptoms than previously thought, new research has found.

(Image: Towfiqu Barbhuiya / Unsplash)

My long Covid journey: Learning patience with my own body

By Khairoonisa Foflonker

Long Covid, I’m learning, is a daily rollercoaster. How I will feel each day is entirely unpredictable. A day with excessive struggle to accomplish daily tasks leaves me exhausted and anxious. Even now, nine months later, I still experience frustration with the physical limitations of my body.

Khairoonisa Foflonker. (Photo: Supplied)

Regaining fitness after Covid-19 infection can be hard. Here are 5 things to keep in mind before you start exercising again

By Clarice Tang

Are you finding it difficult to get moving after having Covid-19? You are not alone. Even if you have mild symptoms, you may still experience difficulty in regaining your fitness.

Core exercises. (Image: Jonathan Borba / Unsplash)

Five tips on how to manage debilitating fatigue after Covid-19

By Natasha Yates

People are often surprised by how fatigued they are during a Covid-19 infection.

Pandemic fatigue can cause stress. (Photo: Drazen Zigic/health.sunnybrook.ca/Wikipedia)

Getting to grips with Long Covid — and the gender biases that skew medical diagnoses

By Donné Minné and Altay Y Turan

Long Covid is showing up in much higher proportions in women compared to men. That depression and anxiety are high on the list of Long Covid symptoms is particularly problematic for women, who were often told that their symptoms were psychogenic in nature. Given the long history of gender bias in the medical profession, one cannot help but wonder whether this low-hanging fruit would have been the go-to diagnosis had most of these patients been male.

(Photo: Unsplash / Engin Akyurt)

For more about long Covid, read here.