Northwest Wayne News

As medical practitioners learn more about the post-infection effects of COVID-19, symptoms that seem to carry on for weeks or months are being observed, reminding people that much is still unknown about the long-term consequences of the virus.

Dr. Justin Skrzynski, an internal medicine specialist at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, recently appeared on WJR’s "The Frank Beckmann Show" to discuss the long-term effects being found in those who have recovered from COVID-19.

“We’re seeing people weeks, even months, out from this illness complaining of chronic illnesses,” Skrzynski said on the show.

Fatigue, muscle ache, weakness and shortness of breath are continuing for some patients long after they appear to be over the infection, he said.

One of the major problems in evaluating what those symptoms signify is simply that the coronavirus is still a relatively new problem.

“We have a pretty good handle on the disease course of coronavirus over a week, a couple weeks, a month even. We’ve definitely learned a tremendous amount since things began,” he told Beckmann. “But it’s simply too early to say what the six-month, what the one-year, what the two-year consequences might be, and additional things are coming to light as we go.”

Problems such as a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream seem to go away quickly after the infection subsides, but it is still unknown what is causing those symptoms that carry on afterward, the doctor said. Some may simply be the effects of being bedridden for a long period of time.

“We call it deconditioning,” Skrzynski told Beckmann. “So people end up very, very weakened from this. People report confusion for even weeks or months out from this. So, confusion, disorientation, memory issues -- fatigue is also a huge one.”

Fatigue can go beyond physical weakness, including a general lack of energy and sleepiness. While doctors don’t know how much of that is a result of a long period of inactivity, it does appear to be disproportionately linked to coronavirus.