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According to a research from the University of Leeds in the UK, after standing for a minute, the patient's legs started to swell up and get red. They then gradually turned bluer and the veins on them were more visible.
New Delhi: An uncommon case of a long Covid patient has been reported in the Lancet Journal, whose legs turned blue after ten minutes of standing. The instance of a 33-year-old man who got the disease known as acrocyanosis—blood pooling in the veins of the legs—was discussed in the research.
As per the report, the patient’s legs started to become red about a minute after he stood up, and they gradually turned blue with more visible veins as time went on, according to research from the University of Leeds in the UK. After ten minutes of standing, the colour was noted to become considerably more noticeable, and the patient reported feeling heavy and itching in his legs.
However, two minutes after he resumed a non-standing position, his natural colour was seen to reappear, reported PTI.
Also Read: Researchers discover changes in blood plasma protein due to long Covid
According to the authors of the study, the patient said that after contracting COVID-19, discolouration started to affect him. The lead author and an associate clinical professor at the university’s School of Medicine, Manoj Sivan noted in the report that this was a notable instance of acrocyanosis in a patient who had never had it before contracting COVID-19.
The patient was subsequently identified as having postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a disorder that causes an abnormal rise in heart rate upon standing. Long Covid has been proven to influence, the autonomic nervous system, which controls bodily functions including heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, and sexual desire.
Apart from this, in children with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (dysautonomia), a common symptom of post-viral syndromes has been observed due to long Covid. Patients who experience this might not be aware that it can be a sign of dysautonomia or long-term Covid and may worry about what they are witnessing. Similarly to this, Sivan noted that doctors might not be aware of the connection between acrocyanosis and extended Covid.
Previous studies by Sivan’s group have demonstrated that POTS and dysautonomia commonly manifest in Long Covid patients. Numerous additional chronic illnesses, including fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis, generally known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME, which both weaken muscles and produce discomfort, exhibit dysautonomia.
Also Read: No direct relation between long Covid and persistent immune response against virus: Research
What is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)?
Accoridng to Cleveland Clinic, POTs is a condition that causes your heart to beat more quickly than usual and might occur when you move from laying down or sitting to standing up. It’s a particular form of orthostatic intolerance.
In this condition, no matter what posture your body is in, your autonomic nervous system normally maintains a healthy balance between your heart rate and blood pressure to keep your blood flowing at a regular pace. If you have POTS, your body struggles to maintain a healthy balance between your heart rate and blood vessel constriction. This implies that your body is unable to maintain a constant and stable blood pressure level. This causes a number of symptoms.
Every POTS case is unique. Over the course of years, those who have POTS may have intermittent symptoms.
