Omicron Covid Variant

लंदन: कोविड-19 से संक्रमित मरीजों में हृदय रोग और मधुमेह विकसित होने का खतरा अधिक होता है, खासकर संक्रमण के बाद के तीन महीनों में। एक नए शोध में यह पता चला है। वैज्ञानिक तेजी से कोविड-19 को एक बहु-प्रणाली की स्थिति के रूप में पहचान रहे हैं जो पूरे शरीर में बीमारी का कारण बन सकती है, संभवत: उन मार्गो को ट्रिगर करके जो सूजन का कारण बनते हैं। लंदन के किंग्स कॉलेज के शोधकर्ताओं ने 428,000 से अधिक कोविड रोगियों और इतने ही अज्ञात मेडिकल रिकॉर्ड का विश्लेषण किया और इस निष्कर्ष पर पहुंचे कि कोविड रोगियों में मधुमेह और हृदय रोग उन लोगों की तुलना में ज्यादा होते हैं, जिन्हें कभी संक्रमण नहीं हुआ था। ओपन एक्सेस जर्नल पीएलओएस मेडिसिन में प्रकाशित विश्लेषण से पता चला है कि वायरस से संक्रमित होने के बाद पहले चार हफ्तों में 81 प्रतिशत कोविड रोगियों को मधुमेह होने का पता चला। संक्रमण के बाद 12 सप्ताह तक उनका जोखिम 27 प्रतिशत तक बढ़ गया था। कोविड समग्र रूप से हृदय निदान में छह गुना वृद्धि के साथ जुड़ा था, मुख्य रूप से फुफ्फुसीय अंत: शल्यता (फेफड़ों में रक्त के थक्के) और अनियमित दिल की धड़कन के विकास के कारण। एक नए हृदय रोग निदान का जोखिम संक्रमण के पांच सप्ताह बाद कम होना शुरू हो गया और बेसलाइन स्तर पर वापस आ गया या एक वर्ष से लेकर 12 सप्ताह के भीतर कम हो गया। हालांकि, शोधकर्ताओं ने यह भी नोट किया कि कोविड संक्रमण हृदय संबंधी विकारों और मधुमेह के बढ़ते जोखिम से जुड़ा है। इन निष्कर्षो के आधार पर टीम ने अनुशंसा की कि डॉक्टर अपने रोगियों को स्वस्थ आहार और व्यायाम के माध्यम से मधुमेह के जोखिम को कम करने की सलाह दें। टीम ने कहा, "हृदय की स्थिति और मधुमेह के विकास पर कोविड-19 के दीर्घकालिक प्रभावों पर इस बहुत बड़े जनसंख्या आधारित अध्ययन से मिली जानकारी उन लाखों लोगों का प्रबंधन करने वाले डॉक्टरों के लिए अत्यंत मूल्यवान होगी, जिन्हें कोविड-19 हो चुका है। इससे स्पष्ट है कि कोविड-19 से संक्रमित होने के बाद कम से कम पहले 3 महीनों में विशेष सतर्कता की जरूरत रहती है। (एजेंसी) यह भी पढ़े► हीमोफिलिया के मरीजों की जीन थेरेपी से रक्तस्राव में आएगी कमी

People who regularly fast are less likely to experience severe complications from Covid-19, suggests a study. Intermittent fasting has previously shown to have a host of health benefits, including lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The findings, published week in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, showed that Covid patients who practised regular water-only intermittent fasting had lower risk of hospitalisation or dying due to the virus than patients who did not. "Intermittent fasting has already shown to lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. In this study, we're finding additional benefits when it comes to battling an infection of Covid-19 in patients who have been fasting for decades," said Benjamin Horne, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Healthcare in the US. In the study, researchers identified 205 patients who had tested positive for the virus between March 2020 and February 2021 -- before vaccines were widely available. Of these, 73 said they regularly fasted at least once a month. Researchers found that those who practised regular fasting had a lower rate of hospitalisation or death due to coronavirus. "Intermittent fasting was not associated with whether or not someone tested positive Covid-19, but it was associated with lower severity once patients had tested positive for it," Horne said. While Horne said that more research is needed to understand why intermittent fasting is associated with better Covid outcomes, he said it's most likely due to a host of ways that it affects the body. For example, fasting reduces inflammation, especially since hyperinflammation is associated with poor Covid-19 outcomes. In addition, after 12 to 14 hours of fasting, the body switches from using glucose in the blood to ketones, including linoleic acid. "There's a pocket on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 that linoleic acid fits into -- and can make the virus less able to attach to other cells," he said. Another potential benefit is that intermittent fasting promotes autophagy, which is "the body's recycling system that helps your body destroy and recycle damaged and infected cells", Horne added. Horne stressed that these results are from people who have been practising intermittent fasting for decades -- not weeks -- and that anyone who wants to consider the practice should consult their doctors first, especially if they are elderly, pregnant, or have conditions like diabetes, heart, or kidney disease. Researchers also stressed intermittent fasting shouldn't be seen as a substitute for Covid vaccination. (Agency) Read More► Reducing Air Pollution May Improve Brain Development in Children

People infected with Covid-19 had a roughly 25 per cent increased risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in the four months following their infection, compared with those who had other types of respiratory tract infections, finds a study. Researchers at Oregon State University in the US found that Covid patients had a 3.8 per cent rate of developing a psychiatric disorder compared with 3.0 per cent for other respiratory tract infections. The 0.8 per cent difference amounts to about a 25 per cent increased relative risk. The team looked specifically at anxiety disorders and mood disorders and found a minor but significant increase in risk for anxiety disorders and no change in risk for mood disorders. The results speak to the need for both patients and health care providers to be more proactive when it comes to addressing mental health concerns following Covid infection, said Lauren Chan, doctoral student in nutrition in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences. "For people that have had Covid, if you're feeling anxiety, if you're seeing some changes in how you're going through life from a psychiatric standpoint, it's totally appropriate for you to seek some help," Chan said. For the study, published in the journal World Psychiatry, researchers included data of 46,610 Covid-19 positive individuals and control patients who were diagnosed with a different respiratory tract infection so they could compare how Covid specifically affected patients' mental health. They looked at the rate of psychiatric diagnoses for two time periods: from 21 to 120 days after patients' Covid diagnosis, and from 120 to 365 days after diagnosis, limited to patients with no previous mental illness. When patients leave a doctor's office, sometimes care stops there, but Chan recommended that providers consider calling in two weeks for a check-in. "I don't want to say that every single person who gets Covid is going to have this type of problem, but if you start to have concern for yourself or a family member, it's not unheard of. You should definitely seek care for yourself or others around you," Chan said. Read More► Dogs Can Detect Covid-19 Faster Than Rapid Antigen Test: Study

London: Dogs are more effective at detecting Covid-19 infections through human sweat samples than the existing rapid antigen tests, according to a study. The study, published in the PLOS ONE, showed that dogs were 97 per cent effective at detecting Covid infection compared to PCR tests - the most accurate Covid test. On the other hand, the nasal antigen tests detected 84 per cent of positive Covid infections. The findings suggest a potentially less invasive and quicker Covid testing alternative. For the study, researchers at the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris included PCR and sweat samples from 335 people and antigen tests from 234 people recruited in Paris from March 16 and April 9, 2021. The researchers examined five dogs trained to sniff out Covid-19 by examining both positive and negative tests to see if they could tell. They found canines were 100 per cent accurate in detecting positive Covid cases in asymptomatic individuals compared to PCR test results. The canines were slightly less effective at identifying negative coronavirus infections, detecting 90 per cent of negative cases compared to antigen tests that were 97 per cent accurate. "Non-invasive detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection by canine olfaction could be one alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs RT-PCR when it is necessary to obtain a result very quickly according to the same indications as antigenic tests in the context of mass screening," the researchers wrote in the paper. Previous studies have shown dogs to detect malaria, prostate cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and also breast cancer. (Agency) Read More► Diabetes Almost Doubles Risk of Death From Covid: Study