Coronavirus Patients Cope With Fatigue, Hair Loss After Recovery
BOSTON (CBS) - Loss of hair, unusual fatigue and shortness of breath are all symptoms some people are experiencing after recovering from COVID-19.
Both Tracey Otto of Scituate and Deb Buonopane of Quincy say they've lost a lot of their hair. "My hair's been coming out in clumps a month after coronavirus. It's very devastating and somewhat depressing," Buonopane said.
Otto said she was both tired and losing her hair. "It was really severe and very alarming," Otto said.
Keith Dwyer says he's still having a tough time breathing. "Mine is anxiety issues and asthma which I hadn't had issues for any one of for years now," Dwyer said.
All three of these South Shore individuals now know they are not alone. "I think people are experiencing sustained fatigued and not back to 100 percent and a sense of mental fog," said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
He said these lingering side effects are not uncommon. "We know that for many viral illnesses there are lingering effects for not all people but for some people and they definitely take longer to recover," Dr. Kuritzkes said. "Because of how sick they were or simply the body way of reacting."
Health officials say there's not enough data to determine how many people will experience these lingering symptoms but they can make a full recovery. "I feel I'm just now getting to a point where it's not as severe and I'm now taking it shower and it's not too overwhelming what's in the drain," Otto said.
Dr. Kuritzkes says it important to seek help. "Be in touch with your healthcare provider to make sure there is nothing else going on," he said.
