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How Long does COVID last and Risk of Kidney Disease

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 10, 2021 44

In the battle with COVID 19, we are just discovering the results of long-term COVID or Post COVID illness.

How Long does COVID last ?
The effects of COVID 19 can last upto a year and some damages even more.

India has already given the single dose of COVID vaccine to more than half its eligible population. Getting vaccinated is your best chance against COVID 19.

Meta-analysis of 42 studies with 423,117 patients with COVID-19 after a search that included Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline/PubMed, and COVID-19 Research Database (until August 2020)revealed the important mortality risk factors associated with COVID19. Most of these are risk factors for or by themselves noncommunicable diseases.

COVID-19: The Top 10 mortality-related risk factors, according to meta-analysis, are :

Old age
Male gender
Smoking
Obesity
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes
Hypertension
COPD
Acute kidney injury
Increased D dimer

The problem is that even asymptomatic COVID 19 can suffer from long COVID.CKD or chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease is possible even after mild infection with COVID 19.

The study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology has health data from around 1.7 million US Veterans from March 1, 2020, to March 15, 2021.

Result :

Patients testing positive for Covid-19 without hospitalization

30% higher chance of acute kidney injury.
15% greater risk of major kidney disease like CKD.
Greater than the two-fold higher risk of developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

COVID 19 infected patients who were hospitalized, needing intensive care were at a much higher risk of Kidney disease

They are at 7-times more risk of a major adverse kidney event. (Including mortality, renal replacement therapy etc)
At eight times higher risk of acute kidney injury.
At 13-times more risk of end-stage kidney disease.

Long-Covid or post-acute Covid is a real risk. Kidney damage is a well-recognized part of the presenting signs and symptoms. Long COVID may persist even after one year of recovery from Covid-19.

What to do?

Get vaccinated.
Wear a mask
Practice social distancing
I prefer outdoor meetups to indoor ones.

In case you have already had COVID 19-

Remember: You will need long-term regular monitoring of kidney function to anticipate and prevent kidney damage on time.

What can you do?

You can get a Blood urea-creatinine done for baseline record.
Keep your Blood pressure, Blood sugar, body weight in good control.
Kidney problem is often multifactorial. Knowing what you can do today will protect your tomorrow. Get medical opinion on time.

References

1.Mortality-related risk factors of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies and 423,117 patients
Zelalem G Dessie 1 2, Temesgen Zewotir 3
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34418980/

2.Bowe B, et al. Kidney outcomes in long COVID. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2021; ASN.2021060734 DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2021060734 https://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/early/2021/08/25/ASN.2021060734

Nipah virus India:Things you must know

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 8, 2021 13

Nipah Virus India outbreak is worrying. It’s another zoonosis like the Japanese encephalitis,that is a public health and safety concern.

While the State government and central government are doing their best to battle it out the information I share here will help you be aware.

2018

Nurse Lini a young Kerala Nurse and a mother of two wrote to her husband a letter minutes before she left this world. Her husband was working in the gulf and Lini knew her time had come. She succumbed to possibly Nipah infection. The newly emerging Nipah zoonosis shows us how man’s encroachment of forests and spaces occupied by wildlife can and will harm man most. Kerala’s Kozhikode in high alert.

2021 September Update:

Nipah is back in Kerala ,right in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic.

A twelve year old child in Kozhikode succumbed to the disease.More people in the district are suspected to be affected.

Primary takeaway: Quick Facts about Nipah virus you must know

Nipah virus is a zoonosis. It is transmitted from animal to man. Fruitbat is a natural host. It may take up residence in pigs as intermediate hosts. Symptoms range from severe respiratory syndrome to fatal encephalitis. Highly infectious and human to human transmission suspected.No vaccine available and primary treatment is supportive care in an Intensive care unit.

Nipah virus was named after the region where the first death was reported. Sungai Nipah 60 miles southeast of the capital Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

How is the Nipah virus Transmitted?

It is highly infectious. Maybe spread by infected fruit bats, pigs. It can also infect a wide range of animals make it a public health concern. Fruit bats of family Pteropodidae are natural hosts

Transmitted from saliva, the bite of infected fruit bats. Spread from infected fruit bats to man and also human to human transmission suspected.

Raw Date palm sap may be infected with saliva or urine of fruit bat. Fruits contaminated by saliva from diseased bats. The family in Kerala (in 2018 case) with index cases had a dead fruit bat in their well. Authorities have sealed the well .The bat blood samples for medical tests. The report is expected on Friday.

Transmission from animal to human through bodily secretions and humans to humans through close contact with bodily secretions and excretions. Spread between family memebers and caregivers in healthcare facilities are common and highly possible.

Is there a vaccine for the Nipah virus?

No vaccine is available yet.
No medicine to kill the virus

Nipah Virus India stats:

10 dead in Kerala according to reports
13 others suspected to be infected.
100 people quarantined inside homes

Timeline and geographical spread of Nipah deaths

Reported cases in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in 1998 and Singapore in 1999

Nipah has killed more than 260 people in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India in outbreaks since 1998.

According to WHO reports cases detected in Siliguri in India in the past, transmission happened in a healthcare setup and 75% cases occurred in hospital staff or visitors.

Excerpt from Nipah Virus-associated Encephalitis Outbreak, Siliguri, India
Mandeep S. Chadha,* James A. Comer,etal
During January and February 2001, an outbreak of febrile illness associated with altered sensorium was observed in Siliguri, West Bengal, India. Laboratory investigations at the time of the outbreak did not identify an infectious agent. Because Siliguri is in close proximity to Bangladesh, where outbreaks of Nipah virus (NiV) infection was then recently described, clinical material obtained during the Siliguri outbreak was retrospectively analyzed for evidence of NiV infection. NiV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies were detected in 9 of 18 patients. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays detected RNA from NiV in urine samples from 5 patients. Sequence analysis confirmed that the PCR products were derived from NiV RNA and suggested that the NiV from Siliguri was more closely related to NiV isolates from Bangladesh than to NiV isolates from Malaysia. NiV infection has not been previously detected in India.
Precaution: Avoid visiting Nipah hit districts now

What is the Government doing to control the spread?

Ensuring quarantine.
Setting up control rooms to monitor and fight the virus.
Giving travel advisories.
Experts from the New Delhi-based National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and a top hospital have been sent to the state to try and contain the outbreak.
Nipah awareness campaigns.

What are the Symptoms of Nipah virus infection?

The symptoms may vary. Most commonly :

Asymptomatic infection
Fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and respiratory distress.Headaches, drowsiness, and confusion, leading to possible coma and death within a week. There may be both Acute respiratory syndrome and deadly Nipah virus-associated encephalitis.

There is no cure known yet, and patients are only given supportive care. The virus is spread by infected bats, pigs or humans.

Treatment and Prevention

Quarantine and measures of universal protection in Healthcare facilities and caregivers.
Intensive care support

What more should we do?

The world environment day is coming. Let us try to give back the forests to animals and wildlife.L oss of natural habitat makes zoonoses spread .
Ensure universal use of proper protective outer gears in healthcare facilities. Awareness campaigns for public
Compensation package for healthcare workers who succumb to death while serving the ill.

Prayers for the family of the young nurse and all those who succumbed. Healthcare pillars are doctors, nurses and all the healthcare workers who make it possible. If we don’t take care every level of the support staff, we risk facing a crisis. Keep our healthcare workers safe.I know the Government tries but maybe we should try even more now.

Disclaimer: This is a post meant to spread awareness and not meant as personal advice. Kindly consult your doctor before deciding on a course of management for any health issues.

Reference Sources

Nipah Virus-associated Encephalitis Outbreak, Siliguri, India
Mandeep S. Chadha,* James A. Comer,† Luis Lowe,† Paul A. Rota,corresponding author† Pierre E. Rollin,† William J. Bellini,† Thomas G. Ksiazek,† and Akhilesh C. Mishra*

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-kerala-officials-say-kozhikode-epicenter/

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/nipah-virus

My Unlikely Wellness Habits

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 1, 2021 0

My writing journey is my number one wellness habit. Then comes walking, gardening, painting, and surprise, decluttering.

None of this arrived in my life with a star sign saying-

Hi, I want to make you feel better!

They just came and, over time, have wiggled their way into my daily routine in such a way that I miss them if I don’t do them. Even decluttering.

Clutter is inevitable. That’s why, daily decluttering is the only option to help me stay on top of the cleaning game.Housekeeping is never really done for anyone. Unless you have an army of invisible people doing it.Invisible, because I like my home cleaned and beautiful without feeling awkward about too many people around the house.

I like doing my own work if I have a good company like my husband.He does all the heavy lifting,while I envision my dream spaces. Reality check- it doesn’t happen that way.

We have a supremely messy second bedroom in our rental apartment, undergoing a pre-Durga puja cleanup. Wanting to re-use a much-loved travel cot, we found out it wouldn’t fold! The eight years of not being folded have worked its dust and moisture work its dubious magic to make a folding travel baby cot unfoldable.

The cot is in otherwise perfect condition and pretty. But we have a problem.

Now I digress.

I was talking about wellness habits. I have tried decluttering alone.

I simply fall into a never-ending pit.

I want to recycle, upcycle or reuse everything ,until it falls into dust. But that’s impractical and is a big space hogger.

The husband is practical, but he wasn’t around much for that part of home upkeep. A recent re-juggling of our work schedule, has made it possible for him to declutter half a room in two days. Now we can plan organization better.

I am trying to reuse the stuffing from a few old ignored soft toys, to restuff limp cushions, and that’s strangely fun. Maybe I will even try my hand at using the much ignored Singer sewing machine. For now, it’s not decorating but decluttering, which is giving us a lot of happiness.

So why Decluttering? Why not decorating?

Oh well, as someone wisely said, imagine spending money on storing old torn clothes which will not help anyone?

You can donate.

Reuse, recycle, whatever.

But if I haven’t used it for 8 years, it’s unlikely I will do it now.

That was the thought behind the Decluttering adventure.

The short version of the Decluttering adventure

Focus on one area.
Keep trash bags ready.
Sort into piles according to two main categories. Useful for you /Could be helpful for others
Giveaway if not useful for you.

Marie Kondo says, decluttering works best if you do it with the person whose things they are. Otherwise, it can cause havoc.So be careful about tackling other people’s clutter.

Holding onto old things, emotions, hurt, weigh on us .Over the years, that increases.The sad part is we don’t know when we need help. We change homes, towns, jobs carrying about the clutter inside us and with us. Paying the movers to shift things that we don’t need or love.

A physical decluttering is almost like a mental signal to declutter our minds. Out with the rusty useless thoughts and treasure those golden nuggets that age well and help you navigate your life now.

It’s a life now which gives us happiness . Not the one in the past and nor the imaginary one which is to come.

But they all add up.

As Steve Jobs says-

“You can only connect the dots looking back.”

For now, collect your wellness dots.

I don’t like housework too much. Who does?

But I like decorating. Again most people like that part.

With the interiors for our new home being finalized with the design team, I am trying to remind myself why I want storage space. What’s going to be there?

It’s overwhelming when you give instructions, and you don’t know.

That’s why inspiredroom.net by Melissa and her room decorating tips have always been my favorite.

What’s not to love about simple, elegant, and pretty?

How often do you declutter?

A Prayer on Janmasthami

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on August 30, 2021 1

“Man is made by his belief. As he believes so he is.”
~Sri krishna says in Bhagwad Gita.

Let us all believe in being our best self.
Happy Janmashtami to everyone!!We can only do the practice.We have no control over the results.

The entire month of August I tried to keep up with the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I did come a long way ,but I hope to do better next time.For now it’s important I keep doing what I do ,because that’s the only thing in my control.The blog traffic,the economics of blogging is a part of the results of blogging,not the entire result.

The best part of blogging is-

The conversations I have with my own head while I write stuff down.
The experience of the Ultimate Blog Challenge in August 2021 when Martha and Paul showed me immense kindness in a tricky situation.

When I decided to write today when I heard of the demise of a college senior.
A smiling beautiful friend ,who is now no more.The many questions which peep into the mind,will forever be left unanswered. Her death reminded me that it takes a lot of strength to live each day well .I don’t know your struggles and you don’t know mine.The least you and I can do is be kind to each other and serve with grace.The work of living is serious practice for this life .To live well and with grace is not easy .

On Janmasthami when we pray to Lord Krishna ,I am reminded of the struggles the baby Krishna went through.But did he give up?No.He fought but with a smile.It’s not the results but our actions that we own.Doing the practice of writing one word after another made it possible for me to write this post.There’s a big need for better policies for occupational health.No one seems to talk about that.All professionals struggle.

Within a few hours or one day it will be September and the ninth month of 2021 when the countdown to Durga Puja will start.We will forget the people we lost in the Pandemic ,in wars,in terror attacks, due to accidents and natural causes.In the end we will all be forgotten.

But maybe someone will carry on the work.The practice.Being a little bit better every day can change the world.

Leaving you with my daughter’s art work for Janmasthami .

17 Women Who Paint Anemones: Painting Flowers together

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on August 26, 2021 3

Every time I paint, I remember Tangi. It’s like a fairy godmother who made Cinderella meet her prince and disappear. It’s unusual to have such a connection with a social media app. Do I miss it because I made friends, learned, earned, or a little bit of all of them?

Maybe it was the positive nature of the Tangi platform. It was a creative platform that helped artists learn, teach, share and grow without stress. My time at Tangi, made me understand the importance of STEAM in education even better.

Today I share paintings of the beautiful Anemone flower.

Anemone flowers symbolize relaxation. At night the flowers close up and open their petals again in the morning. Due to this feature, the anemone can serves as a reminder to enjoy the moment to take in opportunities at the right time.

I had the opportunity to work alongside these talented artists to bring you this fantastic Anemone collaboration.

Come see all the gorgeous Anemones we’ve created, each in our own style. Go ahead and visit the artist’s profile and show some love.

@healthwealthbridge_dramrita

@ih.arte

@hobby.bee

@create__d

@amanda.arteydibujo

@doodlesbytalina

@mariana.blooming

@martywatercolor

@thea.ong

@itzginia

@linda.atrisco.creates

@artbycristinacabrera

@vivigonzalezart

@gabrielayacuarelas

@anjali.wankhede.1

@marcogvphotography

@rajniz_art_rosovyy

*Different ways to paint Anemones*: *Visit the Instagram handle of the artists and see the paintings close up!*

This is the third collab with a beautiful group of painters from all over the world.

First Peonies,

Then Magnolia

Now it’s Anemones

The best part about painting together is seeing the different ways we see flowers and paint them.

Every painting is beautiful. Some more than others, right?

But the point is when you paint flowers in watercolor, it’s difficult to really be in complete control.

Nature in Ar

Art not only imitates nature but also completes its deficiencies. Its the way we see it.

Looking at paintings stimulates the reward system and makes you feel good. Thats the reason most of us love painting.

It also helps in social inclusion, mental health recovery, and resilience

Art therapy to reduce stress and boost mental health could work.

But science doesn’t trust evidence that is not backed by facts. Maybe it’s time we built a global initiative to help promote writing, painting, doodling, sculpting, sewing, knitting, and all things art and craft.

I know my friend Martha at the Ultimate Blog challenge sews. She had her own interior decorating firm and now has a Mama’s Minky business on Facebook.

Most of my artist friends on Instagram conduct art classes. Check out their Instagram profiles and DM them if you want to learn from them.

They all have their own distinct style. If you cant take your eyes off them, maybe they are calling you. The Universe and your brain know what you need in your life to feel happy and be healthy. Listen.

When you stop seeing with our soul’s eye, you are frozen. You can’t waste your time with regret and what-ifs. Art can melt frozen hearts. Try it. Madonna said it right!

For further reading

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.650314/full

Art Science and Learning about STEAM

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on August 25, 2021 4

Tangi said goodbye in July 2021. It was a wonderful creative app and it gave me a gift for life.I started painting and drawing because of Tangi. It was like a window opened in my soul.

When you keep all the doors and windows closed and the air conditioner is on, you are comfortable. But when you go out in the fresh air you know it’s different. You breathe better, you feel better and you glow.

So what exactly is STEAM education?

STEAM is integrative learning using Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to helps students learn.In STEM, the A was missing.That’s the glow education misses, when we seperate learning into rigid lines.

A friend Leha on Instagram today talked about the art of living . How creative life is our way of living beautifully. Art feeds the soul. Today I am a CANVA champion. It wouldn’t have been possible if Tangi and the friends on Tangi didn’t give me this confidence.

My creative life is dedicated to my daughter and all my Tangi friends who taught me how to create art and live life with art in it.

As a doctor, I had no inkling of any artistic inclination after fourth grade. Even now I suffer from imposter syndrome every time I write, publish or paint . But I keep doing it anyway.

If I want my daughter to live a life full of science and arts and not pick and choose, maybe I could walk the path before her. That’s the best part about STEAM education. It talks about incorporating Arts in education.

Arts are visual and very intuitive. While words are more learned. If there’s a way to have less competition between learning in these two media, the world would open up.

Encouraging curiosity and learning means accepting there are different ways to learn. Ancient texts show a lot of graphics in their language. It was visual and unlike what we write today. So what changed?

Why were arts and science made to feel like they were opposite sides of the coin when they together make up learning?

Have you ever thought about this?

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