Seizures or pain in the abdomen? Can be Covid, don’t ignore symptoms, warn doctors

Gurgaon: Last month, a 28-year-old man from South City 1 had to be rushed to the hospital after he fell unconscious. Though he had no prior history of seizures, he had had three in a span of two days. To his surprise, when doctors conducted a Covid-19 test as a precautionary measure, he was found positive.
“We all were shocked. I didn’t have a sore throat or shortness of breath. It took me 14 days to recover and I still haven’t regained my sense of taste,” the man said.
In another case, a 26-year-old resident paid a visit to the hospital after he was unable to walk. “There was an unusual numbness and weakness in my legs. I could hardly walk. I was tested for Covid-19 at the hospital and it came as a shock when I tested positive. I had read about the virus and its symptoms, and difficulty in walking was never one of them,” the man said, adding that he took about a week to recover as his symptoms were mild.
Initially, people had been advised to watch out for common symptoms of Covid, such as fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. However, health experts said in the past four months, the strains of the virus have become more deadly and can affect various organs of the body. Doctors at several city hospitals said that other symptoms have now come up, like anxiety, headache, muscle pain, loss of smell and taste, chills and skin rashes.
In some cases, patients are complaining of more complex symptoms. The new symptoms, doctors explained, can be divided into three main categories — neurological, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal.
In a case of gastrointestinal manifestation, a 40-year-old man, who had acute abdominal pain, tested positive for Covid. However, he said that he recovered within four days.
Explaining how it affects the body, Dr Praveen Gupta, director and head of neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, said that the virus can enter the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and infect the intestinal cells. “Symptoms such as diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting are then reported,” he said.
An 82-year-old woman who had brain haemorrhage had tested positive the disease, the doctor said. “The virus can cause blood clotting inside the body and that can also result in a stroke,” Dr Gupta added.
He said that apart from heart attacks, the sudden onset of thrombosis or blood clotting in the body can cause inflammation to the heart and can also upset the heart rhythm, causing arrhythmia.
“We have so far received over 10 Covid patients who showed neurological symptoms. Around four patients showed cardiovascular and three had gastrointestinal symptoms. While we have been receiving neurological and cardiovascular cases since April, patients with gastrointestinal issues have started coming only since June,” he said, adding that the time taken for the symptoms to manifest varies from patient to patient.
Doctors said that in 33% of the cases, neurological problems can precede fever. In 5-10% cases, neurological manifestations can be the only symptom of Covid-19. New neuro symptoms include seizures, stroke, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and weakening of limbs and muscles.
Dr Amit Bhushan Sharma, associate director and unit head of cardiology at Paras Hospital, said that shortness of breath can be experienced due to heart and lung issues.
“If shortness of breath increases while lying down and the person get a little relief while sitting up, then it’s due to the virus. One should not ignore these symptoms and rush to a hospital immediately as they have the highest chances of having a cardiac arrest,” the doctor said, adding that chances of fatalities are 70% more in patients with a history of heart ailments.
Dr Manjeetha Nath Das of internal medicines department of Columbia Asia Hospital, however, added that the new symptoms are making it more difficult to manage cases. “Diarrhoea and a runny nose are very common during monsoon. Due to this, people ignore the symptoms. Taking precautions is necessary and social distancing should be maintained,” the doctor said.