The COVID-19 condition looks like has gone from bad to worse for the recovered patients as a new condition has emerged after recovery. Three confirmed cases of avascular necrosis or death of bone tissues after Covid-19 have been scientifically reported from Mumbai. Doctors fear that more cases of AVN are likely in the next few months. According to a report in Times of India, Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, treated the three young (under 40) patients who developed necrosis two months after they were treated for Covid. “These patients developed pain in their femur bone (the highest part of the thigh bone) and, since they were doctors, they recognised the symptoms and rushed for treatment,’’ said Dr Sanjay Agarwala, medical director of Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The common factor between AVN and mucormycosis is the use of steroids, the only drug proven to help Covid-19 patients. Dr Agarwala’s research paper, ‘Avascular necrosis as a part of long Covid-19’, was published on Saturday in prestigious medical journal ‘BMJ Case Studies’. He said the “large-scale use of life-saving corticosteroids” in Covid-19 cases will result in a “resurgence of AVN cases”. The symptoms of the disease may appear after 1-2 months of recovery from Covid-19. The effect of steroids continues to stay in the body till 5-6 months of the treatment. Anyone can be affected, but the condition is most common in people between the ages of 30 and 50.Look out for symptoms such as pain in joints while putting pressure on it, the pain can be mild or severe and usually develops gradually. Avascular necrosis pain is associated with the hip, thigh or buttocks. Besides the hip, the areas likely to be affected are the shoulder, knee, hand and foot. Meanwhile, of the 264 patients with mucormycosis, in the government hospital in Coimbatore, 30 have lost the vision in one eye, a top official of the hospital said on Sunday. All those admitted had undergone endoscopy with 110 undergoing visualisation surgery, the hospital Dean Dr N Nirmala said in a release. But 30 patients with severe infection had lost their sight in one eye, she said adding that those who had come at an early stage were totally cured of the disease.