Will the vaccines work?
Vaccine manufacturers are cautiously optimistic. Oxford University, which developed a vaccine with AstraZeneca, has stated: “Despite the appearance of new variants over the past year, vaccines have continued to provide very high levels of protection against severe disease, and there is no evidence so far that Omicron is any different. However, we have the necessary tools and processes in place for rapid development of an updated COVID-19 vaccine if it should be necessary.”

Pfizer also sought to allay fears in a statement: “Pfizer and BioNTech are remaining vigilant and constantly conducting surveillance efforts focused on monitoring for emerging variants that potentially escape protection from our vaccine. We are beginning to run neutralization tests on the new Omicron variant of concern and expect to have initial data in the coming weeks.”

“In the event that a variant emerges that escapes protection of our vaccine, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be able to develop and produce a tailor-made vaccine against that variant in approximately 100 days, subject to regulatory approval,” the Pfizer spokesperson added.

Tim Spector, a professor of genetic immunology at King’s College London and scientific co-founder of ZOE, which boasts the world’s largest COVID-19 study, commented in an interview with MNT:

“The vaccines are highly likely to be effective against severity, and modestly against infection with Omicron.”

This view was echoed by Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of the molecular microbiology and immunology department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who told us: “I believe that current vaccines will provide some protection against Omicron. I am optimistic that the vaccinated will have some protection against Omicron and that this protection will continue to reduce symptoms and mortality in those affected.”

Spike protein changes
The chief worry is that the Omicron variant has more than 50 mutations, 30 of which are in the spike protein, the area that vaccines targetTrusted Source.

Experts have expressed concern that the antibodies generated by vaccination will therefore not match the spike proteins of the Omicron variant, reducing the levels of immunity provided.

However, it appears that high levelsTrusted Source of neutralizing antibodies, produced after three vaccine doses, provide protection from severe symptoms following infection with the Omicron variant.

It is not only the spike protein that stimulates the immune response, as Dr. Casadevall pointed out:

“Even though there are large changes in the structure of the spike protein between Omicron and the virus used to design the vaccine, much of it remains the same, and these common areas should elicit immune responses to Omicron.”

– Dr. Arturo Casadevall

Vaccines also stimulate other parts of the immune response. This results in the production of T cells, which play an important role in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infections and are less affected by spike mutations.

Get the jab
Both Prof. Spector and Dr. Casadevall stressed that vaccination is the best way to avoid getting seriously ill from COVID-19 — regardless of the variant.

“This will hit the unvaccinated more,” emphasized Prof. Spector.

StudiesTrusted Source from Israel and the United Kingdom suggest that booster campaigns are decreasing the virus’s reproduction and associated hospitalizations.

Increasing vaccination should slow the pandemic, even in the face of the new variant.

Dr. Casadevall remains optimistic about the protection from current vaccines: “I believe that when it comes to this coronavirus, some immunity is better than no immunity. The vaccinated will have some protection against Omicron, and this protection will continue to reduce symptoms and mortality in those affected.”

Vaccination not only prevents serious illness and death. As Prof. Spector added: “Evidence from Delta [variant outbreaks] says the vaccine helps prevent long COVID. I think this will be the case with Omicron [as well].”

He continued: “Delta is still affecting 1 in 60 [people] in the U.K., and Omicron will spread very fast. People need to act sensibly.”

Dr. Casadevall reiterated this message: “Vaccines continue to be our best bet against Omicron, and people should be vaccinated and boosted.”

Deltacron: New variant or laboratory error?

Social media was recently lively with news that scientists in Cyprus claimed to have found a new hybrid variant of SARS-CoV-2. Named Deltacron, it appears to be a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants. However, other experts have questioned whether this is truly a new variant, suggesting the finding may be due to contamination during laboratory testing. Medical News Today looks at the arguments on both sides.

Is there a new SARS-CoV-2 variant on the loose? Image credit: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
On January 7, scientists in Cyprus reported that they had discovered a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. The variant, named Deltacron, is said to be a hybrid of Delta and Omicron.

The scientists are led by Dr. Leondios Kostrikis, a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Cyprus.

Dr. Kostrikis reported that the variant has a Delta-like genomeTrusted Source with Omicron characteristics. The team stated that Deltacron had been identified in 25 individuals — some hospitalized and some in the community.

Stay informed with live updates

Claims of lab contamination
The identification of Deltacron led to widespread news coverage and much debate on social media, but experts have questioned the findings.

Dr. Jeffrey Barrett, Director of the COVID-19 Genomics Initiative at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom, believes the findings are due to a lab error.

“This is almost certainly not a biological recombinant of the Delta and Omicron lineages,” he says. “The apparent Omicron mutations are located precisely and exclusively in a section of the sequence encoding the spike gene (amino acids 51 to 143) affected by a technological artifact in certain sequencing procedures.”

Writing on Twitter, Dr. Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London in the U.K, also dismissed the findings, saying that “[t]he Cypriot ‘Deltacron’ sequences reported by several large media outlets look to be quite clearly contamination.”

In a separate tweet, he nevertheless clarified that this was not due to poor lab practice, stating that it “happens to every sequencing lab occasionally.”

The evolutionary evidence appears to back up their comments. Several experts have stated that if Deltacron was truly a new recombinant variant, samples would cluster on the same branch of SARS-CoV-2’s phylogenetic treeTrusted Source.

However, Deltacron appears randomly on several branches, which experts say is a sure sign of contamination.

Findings defended
However, Dr. Kostrikis defended his findings. He asserted that since Deltacron infection rates were higher in hospitalized patients than in nonhospitalized individuals, the contamination hypothesis was less likely.

In addition, the samples identified as Deltacron were processed in multiple sequencing procedures in more than one country, lessening the likelihood of lab errors, he noted.

The Cyprus team has since reported another 52 cases of Deltacron to the Cyprus Mail. The Cyprus health minister also defended the findings, saying that the groundbreaking research made him “proud of our scientists.”

Call for more evidence
While many experts have dismissed the claims that Deltacron is a new hybrid variant, others are willing to wait for more evidence.

Speaking to Medical News Today, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, commented that “[f]urther local epidemiological investigation in Cyprus is warranted to sort this out. The world certainly is watching.”

“Deltacron has attracted a great deal of interest in the COVID scientific community. Whether it is, indeed, a new variant that has emerged as a result of a combination of Delta and Omicron viruses from a simultaneous infection in a human or whether it happened because of a laboratory accident still remains to be determined.”

– Dr. William Schaffner

Whether that evidence will be forthcoming from Cyprus, or elsewhere, is open to question. MNT contacted Dr. Kostrikis but was still awaiting a response when this article went to press.

In the meantime, researchers affiliated with the GISAID Initiative — a database that “promotes the rapid sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing COVID-19” — have urged renewed caution when it comes to interpreting the data that allegedly indicate the emergence of a new sub-variant of SARS-CoV-2.

“[R]ushing to conclusions on data that have just been made available by labs that find themselves under significant time pressure to generate data in a timely manner is not helpful in any outbreak,” Cheryl Bennett, an official at the GISAID office in Washington, D.C., has told NatureTrusted Source.

Dr. Kostrikis has since commented to Nature that he and his team are planning to submit their data for peer review, noting that they are “in the process of investigating all the crucial views expressed by prominent scientists around the world about [their] recent announcement” regarding the emergence of an alleged new variant.

How COVID-19 is changing research and healthcare
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of people to be ill and led to millions of deaths worldwide. This public health emergency has affected everyone’s life and well-being. Through the suffering, however, there is one silver lining: The pandemic has also provided motivation for different disciplines to come together and put up a united front against this crisis.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed interdisciplinarity? VICTOR TORRES/Stocksy
All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration are crucial to both research and care settings. When experts with different specialisms are able to come together and help each other, better outcomes are guaranteed for all.

As early as 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) was stating the importance of interprofessional educationTrusted Source — that is, mutual teaching and learning exchanges between healthcare professionals with different specialisms — for the future of public health.

“Interprofessio nal education is a necessary step in preparing a ‘collaborative practice-ready’ health workforce that is better prepared to respond to local health needs,” the WHO then stated.

“Collaborative practice strengthens health systems and improves health outcomes.”

– WHO Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice, 2010

However, there are myriad obstacles in the way of interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration. These include a lack of targeted fundingTrusted Source and rigid, incompatible frameworks.

Perhaps for the first time in many decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the motivation necessary for specialists from varied disciplines and professions to come together and overcome existing differences and difficulties.

The public health crisis has also meant that researchers have had more access to national and international funding, as they strove to develop effective vaccines to prevent infection and severe disease and drugs that could help fight COVID-19.

Collaboration at the root of vaccine development
When the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines started across the world, many people expressed hesitancy about receiving them, as they were used to a much longer timeline of vaccine development.

More often than not, in the past, the process of developing a vaccine and confirming its safety and effectiveness could take up to 10–15 years.

So, how was it possible to develop, test, and roll out several new vaccines — some of which use novel mRNA technology — in under a year from the start of the pandemic? The answer: interprofessional collaboration and generous funding.

In a talk they gave at the WIRED Health:Tech conference in 2020, both Tal Zaks, then the chief medical officer of Moderna Therapeutics, and Prof. Uğur Şahin, co-founder and CEO of BioNTech, strongly emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and interinstitutional collaboration in the fast development and testing of their new vaccines, which were then still at the stage of vaccine candidates.

“The way [in which] the whole industry developed vaccines against COVID-19 […] is the best performance of collaboration,” said Prof. Şahin.

“Moderna teamed up with the NIH [National Institutes of Health], we teamed up with Pfizer, [and] AstraZeneca teamed up with Oxford University. So, there are several models of collaboration, and we have the strongest transparency in the development of a vaccine,” he explained.

This strong collaboration was crucial to being able to develop new candidate vaccines within a matter of months, as a sense of urgency stemmed from the ever-rising number of COVID-19 cases in countries all around the world.

Funding was also key. Although funding bodies usually tend to split their funds a lot more between disciplines and projects, the pandemic made it necessary for more funds to go toward the development of vaccines and drugs that could tackle SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, efficiently.

In the United States, Operation Warp SpeedTrusted Source went full steam ahead to support the development, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in as little time as possible. In Europe, the European Commission pledged $8 billion to COVID-19 research.

In a guest editorial that appeared in the Journal of Interprofessional Care in August 2020, a team of 11 health experts wrote about how and why interprofessional education and collaborative practice research are especially important during the pandemic.

They also outlined some of the steps and considerations that would be necessary to ensuring constructive interdisciplinary collaboration in a medical research setting.

These include not only combining different types of expertise but also combining methodologies and building teams that are racially, socially, and professionally diverse.

“Inclusive [interprofessional education and collaborative practice] research teams would envision practitioners/clinicians from an array of experiential/applied settings, learners, service users, community members, various academic disciplines, and civil society as partners in all phases of research,” the authors wrote.

Collaboration in clinical settings
Collaboration between different experts and institutions has become more important than ever, not just in research but also in clinical settings and in ensuring effective communication between health experts and the general public during what has become a distressing time for all.

In a statement from May 2020, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, emphasized the importance of “[c]ollaboration, coordination, and communication across the public health community.”

He noted that:

“Strong and integrated management of public health services, primary care services, and […] hospitals and long-term care facilities is critical to [navigating] this delicate phase.”

Although healthcare systems everywhere have been under great strain due to the high number of COVID-19 patients requiring urgent hospital care, this has not negatively impacted healthcare professionals’ collaborative efforts, according to some recent studies.

Medical News Today spoke with Dr. David Cutler, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, about the ways in which interprofessional collaboration in a clinical setting has changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interprofessional and interdisciplinary collaboration has been important to clinicians for decades, he told us, as health workers aim for stronger communication between specialists to ensure holistic care for their patients.

“Several forces are at play [that] foster greater interprofessional cooperation. First, there is the hospitalist movement,” he explained.

“Over the past decade, inpatient hospital care has transitioned from being mostly provided by physicians with practice outside the hospital who would see their few patients in the hospital daily to one where full-time, hospital-based physicians provide the primary care for inpatients.”

“Since hospitalists will generally have no prior knowledge of these patients or follow them subsequent to their hospitalization, there needs to be close collaboration between inpatient and outpatient physicians during the course of the hospitalization to optimize care,” Dr. Cutler noted.

During the pandemic, this spirit of open collaboration in the healthcare system has become all the more present, he went on to say. According to Dr. Cutler, that is because:

“[COVID-19] is treated very differently when it is mild/moderate/outpatient than when it is severe/inpatient. […] [R]ecognizing early on when hospitalization may improve outcomes requires effective and timely communication between primary care, urgent care, ER, specialists, and inpatient physicians. Getting patients to the right level of care can be a matter of life and death. Decisions regarding monoclonal antibody infusions, steroids, remdesivir, intubation, and ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] therapy involve multiple physician specialties.”

Technological advances, such as having greater access to e-medical records, are also helping strengthen interprofessional collaboration in a clinical setting, added Dr. Cutler.

“The electronic medical record is perhaps the greatest force improving physician collaboration during the pandemic,” he told MNT. “Physicians who may even be in different healthcare systems can see prior testing and treatment done elsewhere, which promotes improved interdisciplinary care.”

“Electronic records also allow patients access to records generated by geographically diverse providers, which is a great boon to the quality of care,” he added.

Addressing COVID-19’s social ‘side effects’
Inevitably, the public health crisis that led to numerous lockdowns and travel restrictions across the world has also had a severe impact on the mental health of people around the globe.

This means that mental health care has also had to step up to the challenge. One key way of doing this has, once again, been pushing for more interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration.

MNT spoke with Lea Milligan. He is the CEO of MQ Mental Health Research, which is a United Kingdom-based charity funding mental health research. Milligan told us more about the challenges and successes of collaboration across fields and specialisms during the pandemic.

“On the eve of the pandemic, the mental health research community had performed the great task of agreeing [on] a set of ambitious 10-year goals for 2020–2030,” he told us. “They derive from recommendations in the ‘Framework for Mental Health Research’ published in [December] 2017, and [they] also build on previous research priority exercises.”

Milligan explained that the agreed-upon goals for mental health research and care require cross-disciplinary collaboration from the get-go: “Research to support the targets under each goal should be undertaken in partnership with the life sciences industries, charities, the NHS [National Health Service], voluntary, social and independent healthcare sectors, together with patients/ service users, their families/carers and clinicians.”

This need for collaborative mental health research and care has increased exponentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he went on to point out:

“Coordination across the [mental health research] sector is essential for the tide to be turned and for mental health science to become the super discipline it has the potential to be. Substantial investment is needed in both human capacity and infrastructural capacity. The emergent umbrella discipline of mental health science needs [an] opportunity to convene, develop a common language, and explore opportunities for collaboration between different approaches.”

The good news is that collaboration is already happening. According to Milligan, “Over the [past] year, in response to the pandemic, we have seen many groundbreaking projects with experts from psychiatry, data science, [and] neuroscience and people with lived experience coming together to tackle some of the biggest challenges faced within mental health care.”

As an example, he mentioned DATAMIND. This is a U.K.-based “hub for mental health informatics research development,” which makes new tools and mental health-related data available to researchers from all disciplines who may benefit from using them.

He also mentioned the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 Study, which aims to look at the long-term effects of COVID-19 — including those on mental health.

“This holistic approach has resulted in a far more in-depth understanding of the virus’s impact and has opened the door to further areas of research into the long-term cognitive effects [that] many [people] are reporting,” said Milligan.

Looking beyond the pandemic
What remains to be seen is whether or not the progress in establishing and fostering interdisciplinary approaches that researchers and healthcare workers have made throughout the pandemic will persist beyond this public health crisis.

Some challenges remain. For example, although collaborative research has been intensifying during the pandemic — particularly in terms of vaccine development and distribution — there is still a sense that equitable collaboration, wherein all research partners are actively listened to and receive due credit, is often lacking.

A comment feature that appeared in Nature Human BehaviourTrusted Source in March 2021 emphasized the continued inequitability in research settings, noting that it hampers progress and ultimately harms global collaboration.

The authors write that although “[n]umerous academic organizations and departments of anthropology, psychology, and related fields reliant on cross-cultural data production have now declared commitments to combat racism […] and improve [the] representation of minoritized groups among their faculty and student body,” these commitments are often shallow, failing to address deep-rooted systemic inequities.

“Often missing from this discussion among high income country-based researchers, however, is the promotion of equitable collaboration in cross-cultural research with national universities and research [centers] in low and middle income countries,” they go on to note.

In terms of collaborations regarding clinical and mental health care, Milligan told MNT that future improvements should focus more on holistic approaches to treatment.

He also suggested that tackling structural racism and ingrained biases in healthcare remains crucial to building a true spirit of collaboration and to providing adequate care.

“Three areas we would like to see [a] more explicit focus on are: the need for truly interdisciplinary approaches, [the] requisite of seeing the whole person (not an isolated diagnosis), and [a] more explicit focus on addressing inequalities across all targets.”

Yet Milligan was hopeful. “Interdisciplin ary working is here to stay, as it should be,” he told us. “When experts from across the spectrum of experience share views and knowledge, it gives us a more rounded approach to research.”

To achieve this “rounded approach,” he explained, it is important to include not just scientists and clinicians in the conversation about health research.

Those on the receiving end of care are also experts, thanks to their lived experience of ill health. Their unique expertise, Milligan added, can transform research and care for the better.

“The next step is to ensure that experts by lived experience are involved in the co-production of research so that their vital contributions are not missed out on.”

What are the long-term effects of COVID-19?
What we know
Mild and moderate cases
Severe cases
Mental health
Treatment and support
Chronic fatigue syndrome
When to seek help
Summary
Most people who develop coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) recover within 2–6 weeks, but some experience lasting symptoms. Others with severe COVID-19 may develop complications, require rehabilitation after a hospital stay, or both.

In addition to the physical impact of COVID-19, people may also experience changes in their mental health.

Below, we describe the long-term effectsTrusted Source of COVID-19 on physical and mental health and explore the resources available for help.

Since Medical News Today published this article, the paper in question has come under scrutiny. The journal in which it appears — PLOS ONE — has issued an “expression of concern.” The journal’s editors explain that “Concerns were raised about the validity of results and conclusions reported in the article and about undisclosed competing interests.” Read more here.

What we know about the long-term effects
Image credit: Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images.
Because COVID-19 is a new disease, scientists are unsure about the effects months or years after the initial illness.

Researchers have theorized that the virus responsible for COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may cause similar effects to other coronaviruses, such as those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

According to a 2020 study, around 30%Trusted Source of people who recovered from severe SARS or MERS had long-term lung abnormalities. A 2009 study found that 40%Trusted Source of people who survived SARS still experienced chronic fatigue about 3.5 years later, on average.

But while SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are caused by viruses from the same family, there are key differences among them, as the 2020 study highlights. For this reason, looking to the other two diseases does not provide a reliable way to predict COVID-19’s long-term effects.

Research into the impact of COVID-19 is ongoing. Initiatives such as the COVID Symptom Study are tracking peoples’ symptoms and the long-term consequences of the disease via a mobile app.

In mild or moderate cases
Most people who develop COVID-19 experience a mild or moderate illness that improves on its own. However, some people who have had a mild or moderate illness go on to develop lasting symptoms that can be severe — even after they have recovered from the initial infection.

When these symptoms are prolonged, people sometimes refer to the issue as “long COVID” or to the people who have it as “long-haulers.”

People with mild or moderate COVID-19 oftenTrusted Source go on to report:

extreme fatigue
muscle weakness
a low-grade fever
trouble concentrating
lapses in memory
mood changes
trouble sleeping
headaches
a sensation of pins and needles
diarrhea
vomiting
a loss of taste and smell
a sore throat
difficulties swallowing
skin rashes
shortness of breath
chest pain
heart palpitations
the new onset of diabetes or high blood pressure
These symptoms may last for weeks or months after the body has cleared the virus.

It seems that anyone, including young people and those with no preexisting health conditions, can develop long COVID. Citing a telephone survey, the World Health Organization (WHO) observe that 20%Trusted Source of people aged 18–34 reported prolonged symptoms.

In severe cases
Around 10–15%Trusted Source of people who develop COVID-19 experience severe symptoms, and approximately 5% become critically ill. People with severe symptoms can also experience long COVID.

In addition, people with a more severe form of the illness may be more likely to experience complications. As the WHOTrusted Source note, the complications can involve damage to:

The lungs: An August 2020 studyTrusted Source found that people with severe COVID-19 are often discharged with signs of pulmonary fibrosis, a type of lung damage. In some people, it can cause long-term breathing difficulties.
The heart: According to a June 2020 review, 20–30% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have signs that the illness has affected their heart muscle. The researchers speculate that in some people, COVID-19 may also cause myocarditis, inflammation of this muscle.
The nervous system: An April 2020 studyTrusted Source with 214 participants found that people with severe COVID-19 were more likely to experience neurological manifestations, such as dizziness, nerve pain, and impaired consciousness.
Currently, doctors are not sure how these complications will affect people in the long term.

People who spend time in the hospital and require mechanical ventilation may also experience other difficulties. A July 2020 studyTrusted Source lists the following complications of ventilator treatment:

chipped teeth
lacerated lips, tongue, or throat
injured vocal cords
infection
hypoxia
hypotension
collapsed lung
heart rhythm problems
People who leave the hospital after having COVID-19 need ongoing support and rehabilitation to help them recover.

Long-term effects on mental health
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health on a large scale. According to an August 2020 reviewTrusted Source, many people felt an increase in stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances in response to the pandemic.

Some factors that can contribute to mental health difficulties during the pandemic include:

isolation and loneliness
difficulty working or the loss of employment
financial struggles
severe or lasting illness
preexisting mental or physical health conditions
emergency medical treatment
grief and bereavement
The impact of these experiences can be lasting, particularly if someone has experienced extreme or persistent distress. This could cause psychological trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder.

ResearchTrusted Source also shows that people can experience severe stress while using a ventilator, due to their dependence on the machine to breathe. Some people also develop depressive disorders after ventilator treatment.

Treatment and support
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have found it difficult to access treatment for their ongoing symptoms.

Below are just a few of the factors that have prevented people from accessing necessary medical care:

Lack of awareness: Early in the pandemic, doctors were not aware that COVID-19 could cause lasting symptoms. Early guidance indicated that for most people, the illness would be short-term.
Lack of information: Scientists are not yet sure what causes long COVID or how best to manage it. This can mean that even when doctors are aware of the potential long-term impact, they may not know how to provide treatment.
False-negative test results: According to an article in BMJTrusted Source, false negatives are common among people with COVID-19. This, coupled with a lack of access to testing in some areas, means that many people with long COVID do not receive medical attention. For this reason, the article’s authors recommend that doctors do not require positive test results in order to diagnose chronic COVID-19 symptoms.
More resources may now be available for support. These include:

Post-COVID clinics
Numerous healthcare centers in the United States and elsewhere have set up post-COVID clinics to help people recover from the illness.

Many of these clinics aim to help people who have spent time in the hospital. They focus on helping people with breathing and rebuilding muscle strength and also provide psychological care for people with anxiety or depression. Examples of these clinics include:

The Post-COVID Assessment and Recovery Clinic at Penn Medicine, in Philadelphia, PA
The Center for Post-COVID Care, part of the Mount Sinai Health System, in New York City
The COVID-19 Follow-up Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco
An increasing number of providers are also establishing clinics for long COVID.

If a person cannot reach a clinic in person, they may be able to request a phone or video appointment.

Apps and online tools
Some health organizations have developed online tools to provide people with information and guidance as they recover from COVID-19. Two examples include:

the Your COVID Recovery portal from the United Kingdom’s National Health Service
the Mental Health and COVID-19 Information and Resources portal from Mental Health America
A person may also be able to access therapy and other mental health support online, via an app, or over the phone.

Learn how teletherapy services work here.

Support groups
Online support groups can help people understand that they are not alone and provide a platform for talking through experiences. Some support groups have been involved in efforts to research long COVID.

Some examples of these groups include:

Body Politic’s COVID-19 Support Group
Survivor Corps, a nonprofit that also run a Facebook group
COVID-19 Support, a Facebook group
Long COVID Support, another Facebook group

Could COVID-19 cause chronic fatigue syndrome?
Many people with lasting COVID-19 symptoms report episodes of extreme fatigue, and some have expressed concern that COVID-19 may cause chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

CFS, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a long-term condition that can follow a viral illness, causing symptoms such as:

severe physical fatigue
mental fatigue, sometimes called “brain fog”
difficulty sleeping
muscle pain
symptoms that get worse after exercise, called post-exertional malaise
While many people with long COVID experience these or similar symptoms, it is unclear whether long COVID is — or could lead to — CFS.

Some researchers view long COVID as a separate phenomenon, calling it post-COVID-19 syndrome or a post-viral syndrome.

In a letter to the editor of the journal Medical HypothesesTrusted Source, scientists emphasize the importance of studying and finding treatments for post-COVID-19 syndrome.

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY NEWSLETTER
Knowledge is power. Get our free daily newsletter.
Dig deeper into the health topics you care about most. Subscribe to our facts-first newsletter today.

Enter your email
Your privacy is important to us

When to seek help
Anyone experiencing new or persistent symptoms following recovery from COVID-19 should contact a doctor, by phone, if possible.

The doctor can assess the symptoms and, if needed, perform diagnostic tests to check for complications. They can also to help monitor and manage the symptoms over time.

If a person experiences severe or rapidly worsening symptoms, they should seek emergency medical help. Some of these concerning symptoms include:

chest pain or pressure
difficulty breathing
a change in the color of the lips —which may appear blue in people with lighter skin or grey or white in people with darker skin
an inability to stay awake
an inability to keep liquids down
rapid weight loss or gain
For anyone struggling with anxiety, grief, or depression, a doctor, a therapist, or another mental health professional can help.

Summary
Most people who develop COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover without treatment. However, as SARS-CoV-2 is a new virus, researchers are still learning about the long-term effects of the disease that it can cause.

Currently, doctors know that COVID-19 can cause lasting symptoms. Some call this issue long COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome. When it is severe, COVID-19 can also cause lasting organ damage.

These and other experiences related to the pandemic can be traumatic, affecting a person’s mental health.

As scientists gather more data, they become better equipped to find effective treatments and management strategies.

To protect oneself and others, it is crucial to follow the COVID-19 prevention guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source.

Animal-based protein recommended for people being treated for cancer
by Bev Betkowski, University of Alberta

U of A professor Carla Prado is a co-author of a new opinion paper recommending that people being treated for cancer should get at least 65 per cent of their protein from animal-based sources. Credit: Faculty of ALES
If you're being treated for cancer, don't leave meat, fish and dairy off your plate, University of Alberta experts advise.

Though it may seem healthier to avoid animal-based proteins like red meat, relying on plant-based protein alone isn't a good plan while fighting cancer, said Carla Prado, a nutrition expert in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.

"When you have cancer, the majority of protein in your diet should be animal-based, and it is safe to eat."

Proteins like red meat or pork tend to get a bad rap when lumped in with their highly processed cousins like cured ham, bacon and salami, which have been linked to causing cancer.

"Unfortunately, there's this misconception that if one type of meat is bad, then all meat is bad, but this is certainly not the case."

In a new opinion paper, Prado and her co-authors—cancer nutrition experts from around the world—reviewed available scientific data and suggest that meat, fish, eggs, poultry and dairy offer better muscle-building properties than plant-based proteins, such as legumes.

Animal-based protein is higher in amino acids, which are vital for building and growing new muscle tissue, as well as helping people better tolerate cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

"Our research has already shown that the more muscle you have, the less severe the toxicity of cancer treatment, your quality of life is better and you can live longer," said Prado, a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science.

Cancer treatments can also erode muscles through poor appetite, bedrest or the stress of surgery, so people undergoing treatments need more protein than healthy individuals, said dietitian Katherine Ford, a Ph.D. candidate in nutrition and metabolism and co-author on the paper.

Many people don't realize the body's nutritional needs differ during cancer treatment, versus eating for cancer prevention, Ford said.

"The amount of protein a person needs to maintain muscle goes up significantly during treatment."

The researchers recommend that at least 65 percent of total protein intake during treatment be from animal-based foods.

"Combined with plant protein, it's likely the best way to support muscles and avoid malnutrition," said Ford.

People being treated for cancer would have to eat significantly more plant-based proteins to get the same benefits of also including meat, fish, dairy or eggs on their plates, she noted.

Current recommendations suggest people should consume 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight daily during cancer treatment. The easiest way to increase intake is to include a protein source in every meal and snack, Ford suggested.

Adding tuna or leftover chicken to a salad or casserole, pairing some cubed cheese with fruit or whole-grain crackers, or adding yogurt to a snack or as a dessert are all easy ways to include animal-based protein sources.

"By doing that, you're well on your way to meeting your nutrition needs."

The researchers also recommend that those sticking to an entirely or mostly plant-based diet during cancer treatment should see a dietitian to ensure they are getting enough protein.

"It's important for making sure they're getting adequate nutrition to properly support muscle health," Prado said.

5

Share

Email

Home
Health
NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Grains: An overlooked source of sustainable protein for health
by University of Eastern Finland

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
Cereal foods already play a major role in the diet in most countries worldwide, as the main dietary source of energy, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and plant-based protein. However, currently, less than half of the grains are used for human consumption. Changes in grain consumption and novel cereal protein-enriched food innovations could play a major role in transitioning towards a more sustainable food system for healthy diets, conclude Nordic researchers in a joint review published in Nutrition Reviews.

"Both scientists and public seem to have missed the yet untapped potential that grains can contribute towards a more sustainable food system and a healthier population. Even small changes in dietary patterns could make a large difference both to environment and health and grains could represent one of these possibilities," says Professor Rikard Landberg from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Food production is responsible for 26 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Increased use of plant-based foods to replace animal-based foods such as meat and dairy is one of the strategies to meet sustainability targets. This includes improving human health, particularly in the Western world.

A joint consortium of researchers within food, nutrition, environment and medicine from Nordic universities and institutes developed a potential scenario to reduce meat intake in Europe and replace it with more sustainable and healthier whole grain-based foods. Which foods shall be used and what are the nutritional consequences and the implications for the environment?

"In our scenario, if 20 percent of the current daily European animal protein intake was to be replaced by plant-based protein, 50 percent could come from cereals. This would mean less than 6 grams more cereal protein daily, corresponding to a serving of 60 grams of grains," says Senior Adviser Kaisa Poutanen, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The current cereal protein intake would need to be increased by 19 percent. With an average content of 10 percent protein in grains, this would mean an additional need of 15 million tons of grains, which corresponds to 5 percent of the current European grain production.

"Since only one third of the current grain production is used for human consumption, there is a possibility to switch from animal feed production to human consumption if consumers would accept it. Such transition would correspond to an increased consumption of about 60 grams per day—for example, three slices of whole-grain rye bread or a large portion of oatmeal," says Anna Kårlund, Postdoctoral researcher at University of Eastern Finland.

Whole grains are beneficial to health and a high intake has consistently been associated with reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer in observational studies. Whole grains are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, but grain protein contains low amounts of the essential amino acid lysine. Therefore, the nutritional composition of the overall diet should be highlighted to ensure an optimal amino acid intake. This can easily be done by increased intake of legumes to complement cereal protein.

Furthermore, a strong future focus from the industry on processing and product design will benefit both society and industry.

Increased availability and use of new protein-rich cereal food concepts, including dairy and meat analogs with well-balanced nutrition profiles, along with a shift towards more whole grain traditional cereal food, could help in the transition towards healthier and more sustainable diet.

Increased consumption of whole grains could significantly reduce the economic impact of type 2 diabetes
by University of Eastern Finland

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Increased consumption of whole grain foods could significantly reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the costs associated with its treatment in Finland, according to a recent study by the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. The findings were published in Nutrients.

"Our study shows that already one serving of full grains as part of the daily diet reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes at the population level and, consequently, the direct diabetes-related costs, when compared to people who do not eat whole grain foods on a daily basis. Over the next ten years, society's potential to achieve cost savings would be from 300 million (-3.3%) to almost one billion (-12.2%) euros in current value, depending on the presumed proportion of whole grain foods in the daily diet. On the level of individuals, this means more healthier years," says Professor Janne Martikainen from the University of Eastern Finland.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases both in Finland and globally. Healthy nutrition that supports weight management is key to preventing type 2 diabetes. The association of daily consumption of whole grain foods with a lower risk of diabetes has been demonstrated in numerous studies.

"According to nutrition recommendations, at least 3–6 servings of whole grain foods should be eaten daily, depending on an individual's energy requirement. One third of Finns do not eat even one dose of whole grains on a daily basis, and two thirds have a too low fiber intake," Research Manager Jaana Lindström from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare says.

The now published study utilized findings from, e.g., national follow-up studies, such as the FinHealth Study, to assess the health and economic effects of increased consumption of whole grain foods on the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

"By combining population-level data on the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the costs of its treatment, as well as published evidence on the effects of how consumption of whole grain foods reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes, we were able to assess the potential health and economic benefits from both social and individual viewpoints," Martikainen says.

Higher fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake linked to lower risk of diabetes
by British Medical Journal

Credit: Mary LaFrance/public domain
Higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to two studies published by The BMJ today.

The findings suggest that even a modest increase in consumption of these foods as part of a healthy diet could help prevent type 2 diabetes.

In the first study, a team of European researchers examined the association between blood levels of vitamin C and carotenoids (pigments found in colourful fruits and vegetables) with risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Vitamin C and carotenoid levels are more reliable indicators of fruit and vegetable intake than using dietary questionnaires.

Their findings are based on 9,754 adults who developed new-onset type 2 diabetes and a comparison group of 13,662 adults who remained free of diabetes during follow-up from among 340,234 participants who were taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct study in eight European countries.

After adjusting for lifestyle, social and dietary risk factors for diabetes, higher blood levels of each of vitamin C and carotenoids and their sum when combined into a "composite biomarker score" were associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Compared with people who had the lowest composite biomarker score, the risk in people whose biomarker score was in the top 20% of the population was 50% lower. The risk in those with biomarker scores between these two extremes was intermediate.

The researchers calculate that every 66 grams per day increase in total fruit and vegetable intake was associated with a 25% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In the second study, researchers in the United States examined associations between total and individual whole grain food intake and type 2 diabetes.

Their findings are based on 158,259 women and 36,525 men who were free from diabetes, heart disease and cancer and were taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary risk factors for diabetes, participants in the highest category for total whole grain consumption had a 29% lower rate of type 2 diabetes compared with those in the lowest category.

For individual whole grain foods, the researchers found that consuming one or more servings a day of whole grain cold breakfast cereal or dark bread was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (19% and 21% respectively) compared with consuming less than one serving a month.

For other individual whole grains with lower average intake levels, consumption of two or more servings a week compared with less than one serving a month was associated with a 21% lower risk for oatmeal, a 15% lower risk for added bran, and a 12% lower risk for brown rice and wheat germ.

These reductions in risk seemed to plateau at around two servings a day for total whole grain intake, and at around half a serving a day for whole grain cold breakfast cereal and dark bread.

Both studies are observational so can't establish cause, and there's a possibility that some of the results may be due to unmeasured (confounding) factors. However, both studies took account of several well known lifestyle risk factors and markers of dietary quality, and the findings back up other research linking a healthy diet with better health.

As such, both research teams say their findings provide further support for current recommendations to increase fruit, vegetable and whole grain consumption as part of a healthy diet to prevent type 2 diabetes.

And for fruit and vegetables, the findings also suggest that consumption of even a moderately increased amount among populations who typically consume low levels could help to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Ranking the efficacy of hair loss drugs

A team of researchers at Mediprobe Research Inc. has ranked the efficacy of hair loss drugs. In their paper published in JAMA Dermatology, the group also notes the pros and cons associated with the different kinds of hair loss treatments. Kathie Huang and Maryanne Senna, with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, respectively, have published an editorial piece in the same journal issue outlining issues related to treating male androgenetic alopecia (AGA), commonly known as male pattern baldness, and the work done by the team in Canada.

Scientists have sought therapies for restoring hair in men for many years, but it was not until relatively recently that drugs were developed that actually worked as advertised. To date, three main treatments have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—topic ally applied minoxidil, oral finasteride and low-level light therapy. Notably, each differs in effectiveness and in side effects. Another drug, dutasteride, has been allowed as a treatment for AGA in some countries, but not in the U.S. due to serious side effects—it has been approved for treating prostatic hyperplasia, however.

The researchers note that finasteride and dutasteride are both 5-α reductase inhibitors, which makes them effective in inducing hair follicles to produce hair. To date, finasteride has been associated with a wide variety of negative side effects, including erectile dysfunction, decreased libido and depression. It is assumed that dutasteride has similar negative side effects due to the similarity of the drugs (dutasteride is somewhat stronger) but it has not been well tested. And minoxidil is associated with pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade when used in high doses.

The researchers note that despite sometimes serious negative side effects of hair loss treatments, they have found most men are far more interested in how well they work. They conducted a network meta-analysis of the options available to determine the efficacy of each and ranked them in decreasing order of efficacy: dutasteride, 0.5 mg given orally; finasteride, 5mg given orally; minoxidil, 1mg, 5% topical ointment; and minoxidil 0.25 mg given orally.

Hair loss drug shows long-term sexual side effects
For men with finasteride-associated side effects, sexual dysfunction may persist for months or years, even after discontinuation of the drug, according to a study published online July 12 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
(HealthDay) -- For men with finasteride-associated side effects, sexual dysfunction may persist for months or years, even after discontinuation of the drug, according to a study published online July 12 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Michael S. Irwig, M.D., of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., conducted a prospective study involving 54 young men (mean age, 26 years) with persistent finasteride-associated side effects to examine whether the persistent sexual side effects resolve or endure over time. The Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) was used to measure sexual dysfunction.

The author noted a participation rate of 81 percent. At reassessment (mean 14 months), persistent side effects were still present in 96 percent of participants, and 89 percent met the definition for sexual dysfunction according to the ASEX criteria. Changes in the scores of sexual dysfunction were not affected by the length of finasteride use or the duration of the sexual side effects.

"Men who developed persistent sexual and other side effects lasting for at least three months after discontinuing finasteride continue to have a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction for subsequent months or years," the author writes. "It is recommended that prescribers of finasteride, as well as potential users, be aware of the potential serious long-term risks of a medication used for a cosmetic purpose."

Coronavirus can destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths: study
by Lindsey Tanner

This microscope image provided by the College of American Pathologists and Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine shows placental cells from a stillbirth with SARS-CoV-2 infection indicated by the darker stains. Research published on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022 suggests the coronavirus can invade and destroy the placenta in a deadly process that may be a major cause of stillbirths in infected pregnant women. Credit: College of American Pathologists, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine via AP
New research suggests the coronavirus can invade and destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths in infected women.

It's an uncommon outcome for any pregnancy but women with COVID-19 face an elevated risk. Authorities believe vaccination can help prevent these cases.

Researchers in 12 countries, including the United States, analyzed placental and autopsy tissue from 64 stillbirths and four newborns who died shortly after birth. The cases all involved unvaccinated women who had COVID-19 during their pregnancy.

The study bolsters evidence from small case reports and it confirms that placenta damage rather than an infection of the fetus is the likely cause of many COVID-19-related stillbirths, said Dr. Jeffery Goldstein, a pathologist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

He was not involved in the study, which was published Thursday in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

Previous evidence suggests the chances of stillbirth are higher than usual for pregnant women with COVID-19, particularly from the delta variant. Vaccination recommendations include pregnant women and note their higher risk for complications when infected.

This photo provided by the College of American Pathologists and Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine shows sections of a placenta affected by SARS-CoV-2 placentitis, with destructive lesions leading to placental insufficiency and stillbirth. Research published on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022 suggests the coronavirus can invade and destroy the placenta in a deadly process that may be a major cause of stillbirths in infected pregnant women. Credit: College of American Pathologists, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine via AP
Lead author Dr. David Schwartz, an Atlanta pathologist, said other infections can infiltrate the placenta and cause stillbirth, typically by infecting and damaging the fetus. A recent example is Zika virus.

He and his colleagues wanted to see if that was the case with stillbirths in women with COVID-19. But what they found was almost the opposite: it was the placenta that was infected and extensively destroyed.

"Many of these cases had over 90% of the placenta destroyed—very scary," said Schwartz.

Normal placenta tissue is a healthy reddish hue and spongy. The specimens they studied were stiff, with dark discolorations of dead tissue. While other infections can sometimes damage the placenta, Schwartz said he'd never seen them cause such consistent, extensive destruction.

The placenta is an organ that forms and attaches to the womb during pregnancy. It connects with the umbilical cord, providing oxygen and nourishment from the mother's bloodstream.

The virus likely reached the placenta through the bloodstream, attaching to susceptible cells and causing protein deposits and an unusual form of inflammation that blocked blood flow and oxygen. That in turn led to placenta tissue death and suffocation, the researchers said.

This photo provided by the College of American Pathologists and Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine shows a large perivillous fibrin deposition that occurred with SARS-CoV-2 placentitis from a stillborn fetus. Research published on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022 suggests the coronavirus can invade and destroy the placenta in a deadly process that may be a major cause of stillbirths in infected pregnant women. Credit: College of American Pathologists, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine via AP
Coronavirus was also detected in some of the fetuses, but evidence of suffocation in the womb points to placenta damage as the more likely cause of death, they said.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in November found that among pregnant U.S. women infected with COVID-19, about 1 in 80 deliveries was a stillbirth—the loss of a fetus anytime after 20 weeks. That's compared with 1 in 155 among uninfected women.

The study stillbirths occurred on average at 30 weeks; normal pregnancies last about 40 weeks.

High blood pressure, certain chronic illnesses and fetal abnormalities are among conditions that can increase chances for stillbirths, including in women with COVID-19.

It is unclear whether omicron infections also increase chances for stillbirths; the study was done before that highly infectious variant emerged.

Explore further

First study to detect Delta variant in maternal bloodstream and placenta in cases of stillbirth, pregnancy complications

First study to detect Delta variant in maternal bloodstream and placenta in cases of stillbirth, pregnancy complications
by Massachusetts General Hospital

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
A growing body of evidence has linked the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with an increased risk for pregnancy complications, including stillbirths. Now, for the first time, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have detected the Delta variant in the blood and placentas of women who had stillbirths and serious pregnancy complications, which they report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Prior studies have indicated that COVID-19 poses a threat to pregnant women and fetuses. Recently, suspicion has arisen that the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 may be particularly dangerous during pregnancy. In late November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that pregnant women with COVID-19 were four times more likely to have miscarriages than uninfected pregnant women during the period when the Delta variant was causing the majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United States. (Stillbirth describes the death of a fetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy.)

Earlier in the pandemic, before Delta became the dominant strain in the United States, Andrea Edlow, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at MGH, and several colleagues had studied 64 pregnant women with COVID-19 and found that none had detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 in their blood or placentas. But as the Delta variant swept across the country in 2021, Edlow began to have her own suspicions. "It seemed like we were seeing even more sick moms and a disproportionate number of stillbirths," says Edlow.

Edlow and her team received permission to analyze nasal swabs, umbilical cord blood, and placentas of three women who had COVID-19 late in their pregnancies, none of whom had been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Two of the women had stillbirths and a third woman's fetus experienced distress and was delivered by urgent cesarean birth (C-section). These blood and tissue samples underwent viral sequencing at BWH in the translational virology laboratory directed by Jonathan Li, MD.

The results were striking. "All the moms had detectable virus in the bloodstream. All had high levels of detectable virus in their nasal swabs. All had infected placentas," says Edlow. And viral sequencing confirmed that each woman was infected with the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. "This was definitely different from what we saw with the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2 during the first part of the pandemic."

Li notes that while COVID-19 is widely thought of as a pulmonary disease, studies indicate that when SARS-CoV-2 enters the bloodstream (known as viremia) it can travel throughout the body and cause organ failure and other severe complications. "Our testing showed that the virus was widely disseminated in these three patients," says Li. That appears to have resulted in severe inflammation of the placenta, which likely caused the stillbirths and complications. "This represents another example of the systemic manifestations of COVID-19."

Why the Delta variant is a greater threat to pregnancy than earlier strains of SARS-CoV-2 is unknown, as is the potential impact of Omicron, the variant identified shortly after Thanksgiving. However, Edlow hopes these findings can help bolster public health messaging aimed at battling misinformation that leads pregnant women to fear COVID-19 vaccines. She notes that more than 170,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated and, reassuringly, there's no evidence that the injections increased the risk for birth defects or any form of pregnancy complications. "Yet stillbirth, preterm birth, and poor neonatal outcomes are all associated with getting COVID-19," says Edlow. "If you want to do the best thing for your baby, get vaccinated."

Male and female fetuses respond differently to COVID-19
by Anita Slomski, Timothy Gower, Harvard University

Credit: Taylor Wright/Unsplash
In pregnant women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, male placentas showed increased immune activation compared with female placentas, according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine.

The significantly higher levels of certain genes and proteins associated with increased immune activation may help protect male fetuses from becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 in utero, but the resulting inflammation could pose risks to the fetus and child, notes Andrea Edlow, senior author of the study and maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Moreover, pregnant women with COVID-19 transferred significantly less immunity to the virus to male fetuses than to female fetuses, which could affect an infant's risk for becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2. "The sex of the fetus influenced both the mom's ability to generate antibodies to COVID-19 and to transfer them to her baby," says Edlow.

This is the first study to look at sex differences in the transfer of a mother's antibodies from COVID infection to her fetus, and the first to examine sex differences in the placental response to maternal infection.

Epidemiological studies have shown that male adults, children, and infants have a higher prevalence of COVID-19 infection and develop more severe disease than females. Male fetuses and infants are also more vulnerable to a host of pre- and perinatal exposures compared to female babies, so Edlow and her team sought to examine placentas, maternal blood and cord blood from pregnancies affected by maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study included 68 pregnant women, of whom 38 became infected with SARS-CoV-2 during their third trimester prior to the development of the COVID vaccine. The remaining 30 subjects were healthy pregnant women who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy. In both groups, half the fetuses were male and half were female.

In a novel discovery, Edlow and her colleagues showed that, compared with female fetuses, the placentas of male fetuses carried by women with COVID-19 had much higher expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), which play a key role in shielding fetuses from viral invaders in utero. However, the increased expression of ISGs and downstream production of immune cells called cytokines can also result in an inflammatory intrauterine environment, which has been associated with an increased risk for neurodevelopmental or metabolic disease later in life. "While our study didn't assess those risks specifically, it raises the importance of following these children and looking at male and female fetuses differently," says Edlow.

In a second significant finding, Edlow's team showed that mothers with COVID-19 who have male fetuses make lower levels of antibodies against the virus than mothers with female fetuses; they also transfer fewer antibodies to a male fetus. That suggests that males may be more vulnerable to becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 in infancy and demonstrates that the sex of the fetus can influence the maternal immune response to the virus, notes Edlow.

Next, Edlow and her co-investigators plan to examine the character of antibodies induced by the COVID-19 vaccine and how those are affected by the timing of the vaccine during pregnancy and of course, fetal sex. "We want to know what happens to the placenta when moms are vaccinated against COVID-19 in each of the three trimesters and how fetal sex affects that response," says Edlow.

Pregnant women with COVID-19 pass no virus but fewer-than-expected antibodies to newborns
by Massachusetts General Hospital

Credit: CC0 Public Domain
Pregnant women may be especially vulnerable to developing more severe cases of COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection, but little is known about their anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune response or how it may affect their offspring. In a study published in JAMA Network Open, a group led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) provides new insights that could help improve care for these women and their newborns and emphasizes the need for pregnant women to be considered in vaccine rollout plans.

The study included 127 pregnant women in their third trimester who received care at three Boston hospitals between April 2 and June 13, 2020. Among the 64 women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, investigators detected no virus in maternal or cord blood (despite detection in the women's respiratory system), no signs of the virus in placentas and no evidence of viral transmission to newborns. The researchers suspect that transmission to the fetus may be blocked not only due to the lack of virus in the mothers' blood, but also because the major molecules used by SARS-CoV-2 to enter cells (ACE2 receptor and TMPRSS2 enzyme) are often not physically located together in the placenta.

Most of the women who tested positive developed antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 proteins, but mother-to-newborn transfer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies through the placenta was significantly lower than transfer of anti-influenza antibodies.

"Our finding of compromised mother-to-baby transfer of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in third trimester infections has implications for maternal vaccine administration. Specifically, it highlights that pregnant women are a key population to consider in vaccine rollouts. It also raises questions regarding the optimal timing of vaccine administration to best support maternal and newborn immunity," says lead author Andrea Edlow, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at MGH and an assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School.

Edlow notes that transplacental transfer of antibodies to the fetus is typically highest in the third trimester, so it was unexpected to see significantly reduced transfer of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies relative to those against influenza. "Understanding the mechanisms underlying this inefficient transfer of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies after third trimester infection, as well as understanding whether vaccine-generated antibodies have the same or different properties than those from actual infection with the virus, will be critical directions for future research," she says.

Share

Email

Home
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Home
Obstetrics & gynaecology
MARCH 24, 2020

No evidence found for SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission to fetus
(HealthDay)—There is currently no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 undergoes intrauterine or transplacental transmission from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-infected pregnant women to fetuses, according to a study published online March 17 in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

David A. Schwartz, M.D., from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in Atlanta, reviewed the outcomes of two previous coronavirus infections (severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS] caused by SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome [MERS] caused by MERS-CoV) on pregnancy outcomes and analyzed the literature describing 38 pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborns in China to examine the transmissibility of the virus from mother to infant.

Schwartz found that unlike coronavirus infections of pregnant women caused by SARS and MERS, COVID-19 did not lead to maternal deaths in these 38 pregnant women. There were no confirmed cases of intrauterine transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from mothers with COVID-19 to their fetuses, similar to pregnancies with SARS and MERS. All neonatal specimens tested, including some placentas, were negative for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.

"There are currently updated recommendations available on the obstetrical management of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women," Schwartz writes. "In addition, it must be remembered that as vaccine development proceeds for COVID-19 that pregnant women should be considered for inclusion in the clinical trials as well as the eventual distribution of the vaccine unless the risks outweigh the potential benefits."

Share

Email

Home
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Home
Radiology & Imaging
MARCH 5, 2020

Wuhan CT scans reliable for coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnosis, limited for differentiation
by American Roentgen Ray Society

Flowchart shows time difference between positive laboratory test results and positive CT findings for COVID-19 and adenovirus infection in the study group. Credit: American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR)
An article by radiologists from Wuhan, China—published open-access and ahead-of-print in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR)—concluded that chest CT had a low rate of misdiagnosis of COVID-19 (3.9%, 2/51) and could help standardize imaging features and rules of transformation for rapid diagnosis; however, CT remains limited for the identification of specific viruses and distinguishing between viruses.

Yan Li and Liming Xia at Tongji Hospital in Hubai Province studied the first 51 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection confirmed by nucleic acid testing (23 women and 28 men; age range, 26-83 years) and two patients with adenovirus (one woman and one man; ages, 58 and 66 years). In their retrospective cohort of 53 patients, as of February 9, a total of 99 chest CT examinations had been performed.

Comparing image reports of the initial CT study with laboratory test results to identify patterns suggestive of viral infection, according to Li and Xia, "COVID-19 was misdiagnosed as a common infection at the initial CT study in two patients with underlying disease and COVID-19."

Meanwhile, viral pneumonia was correctly diagnosed at the initial CT study in the remaining 49 patients with COVID-19 and two patients with adenovirus.

As Li and Xia explained: "CT of one of the two patients with confirmed adenovirus infection showed ill-defined patchy ground-glass opacities (GGOs), segmental and subpleural consolidations in both lungs, and pleural effusion. CT of the other patient showed subpleural GGOs and consolidation with vascular enlargement, interlobular septal thickening, and air bronchogram sign."

Transverse CT images show ill-defined patchy GGOs and segmental and subpleural consolidations in both lungs. Most lesions are along bronchovascular bundles. Credit: American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR)
The CT findings seen in Li and Xia's two adenovirus cases were similar to those observed in their COVID-19 cases.

The two authors also found CT features of COVID-19 that differ from both severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): a reversed halo sign in two patients (3.9%) and pulmonary nodules with a halo sign in nine patients (17.6%).

"These findings are not mentioned, to our knowledge, in the studies in the literature," the authors noted.

"It is valuable for radiologists to recognize that the CT findings of COVID-19 overlap with the CT findings of diseases caused by viruses from a different family, such as adenovirus, and have differences as well as similarities with viruses within the same family, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV," added Li and Xia.

2

Share

Email

Home
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
MARCH 3, 2020

Adding travel history to patient evaluation could help to prevent spread of COVID-19
by American College of Physicians

Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine recommends adding travel history to the patient evaluation to identify risk for potential exposure to CoVID-19, or coronavirus. Typically, clinicians assess temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure during a physical examination. Adding a fifth "vital sign" could help to prevent spread of geographically-linked emerging infectious diseases, such as CoVID-19.

The authors of a commentary from the Division of Infectious Disease and Geographic Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center say that lessons from SARS, MERS, and Ebola suggest that early case identification through ascertaining travel history is critical to protect both patients and those caring from them. In 2014, a patient presented to a Dallas emergency department after returning from Liberia with low grade fever, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, and headache. The patient had Ebola, but clinicians did not include travel history in the patient's vitals and the diagnosis was missed.

In the first six weeks of the current epidemic, the number of cases of CoVID-19 has surpassed those of SARS and MERS, raising questions about strategies to control the spread of infection. Available data specific to CoVID-19 suggest that screening and restricting travelers may have limited impact on containment. The authors argue that patients' vital signs are immediately powerful indicators of how urgently they need care and what path to take. A simple, targeted travel history can help clinicians put symptoms of infection in context and trigger more detailed history, appropriate testing, and rapid implementation of protective measures.

Twit

Share

Email

Home
Vaccination
FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Novavax says protein vaccine works for kids as young as 12
by The Associated Press

A vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine prepared for use in a trial at St. George's University hospital in London on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. On Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, Novavax announced that its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine proved safe and effective in a study of 12- to 17-year-olds. Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File
Novavax announced Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine proved safe and effective in a study of 12- to 17-year-olds.

Novavax makes a protein-based vaccine—a different type than the most widely used shots—that's a late arrival to the COVID-19 arsenal.

Its shots have been cleared for use in adults by regulators in Britain, Europe and elsewhere and by the World Health Organization, and are under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Armed with the new data, Novavax plans to soon seek expanded use of its shots down to age 12. Later this year, it plans to begin testing in younger children.

The latest study enrolled 2,247 U.S. kids ages 12 to 17 last summer and found the two-dose vaccine was 80% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

That was when the extra-contagious delta variant was circulating. The company said six vaccine recipients developed mild COVID-19 compared to 14 kids who received dummy shots. There were no serious infections.

In June, Maryland-based Novavax announced its vaccine was about 90% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in a study of nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and Mexico. More recently, it has cited laboratory data suggesting the vaccine offers some protection against the more contagious omicron variant although a booster worked better.

The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, mixed with an immune-boosting chemical. That's similar to shots used for years against other diseases such as hepatitis B. It's a different technology than the Pfizer and Moderna options that deliver genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

Novavax seeks OK for COVID vaccine in needy countries first
by Lauran Neergaard

This Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020 file photo shows a vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine ready for use in a trial at St. George's University hospital in London. On Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, vaccine maker Novavax announced it has asked regulators in India, Indonesia and the Philippines to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 shot. Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File
Vaccine maker Novavax announced Thursday it has asked regulators in India, Indonesia and the Philippines to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine—offering its shot to some low-income countries before rich ones with ample supplies.

U.S.-based Novavax partnered with the Serum Institute of India to apply in the three countries, and plans later this month to also seek the World Health Organization review needed to be part of the COVAX global vaccine program.

Novavax CEO Stanley Erck called the submissions an "important step toward access to millions of doses of a safe and effective vaccine for countries with an urgent need to control the pandemic."

The company announced it also plans to submit applications in Britain soon, followed by Europe, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but not in the U.S. until later in the year.

The Novavax two-dose shot is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. That's very different than other widely used vaccines that deliver genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax shots are easier to store and transport than some other options, and have long been expected to play an important role in increasing supplies in poor countries desperate for more vaccine.

In June, Novavax announced the vaccine had proved about 90% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in a study of nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and Mexico. It also worked against variants circulating in those countries at the time. Side effects were mostly mild.

As for the highly contagious delta variant that now is circulating in much of the world, Novavax also announced Thursday that giving a booster six months after a second shot revved up virus-fighting antibodies that could tackle that mutant.

Additional studies in Britain and elsewhere are testing if the Novavax shot could be used as a booster after other types of COVID-19 vaccines. Erck said that mix-and-match data might lead to its vaccine becoming "the universal booster of choice" in rich countries.

And the company said Indonesia already had expressed interest in using the Novavax vaccine as a booster following some Chinese-made shots.

The Gaithersburg, Maryland, company said it was on track to produce up to 100 million doses a month by the end of the third quarter and 150 million doses a month by year's end.

Share

Email

Home
Vaccination
JUNE 14, 2021

Novavax: Large study finds COVID-19 shot about 90% effective
by Linda A. Johnson

In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, file photo, a vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine is seen ready for use in the trial at St. George's University hospital in London. Novavax says its vaccine appears effective against COVID-19 in a large study, including against variants. Results from the study in the U.S. and Mexico were released on Monday, June 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its COVID-19 shot was highly effective against the disease and also protected against variants in a large study in the U.S. and Mexico, potentially offering the world yet another weapon against the virus at a time when developing countries are desperate for doses.

The two-shot vaccine was about 90% effective overall, and preliminary data showed it was safe, the American biotechnology company said. That would put the vaccine about on par with Pfizer's and Moderna's.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically and the country has more than enough doses to go around, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.

That help is still months away, however. The company says it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and will be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

"Many of our first doses will go to … low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with," Novavax Chief Executive Stanley Erck said.

While more than half of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine dose, less than 1 percent of people in the developing world have had one shot, according to Our World In Data.

The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are already authorized for use in the U.S. and Europe. Europe also uses AstraZeneca's formula.

Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots.

There were 77 cases of COVID-19—14 in the group that got the vaccine, the rest in volunteers who received the dummy shots. None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared with 14 in the placebo group.

The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants, including the one first detected in Britain that is dominant in the U.S., and in high-risk populations, including the elderly and people with other health problems.

Side effects were mostly mild—tenderness and pain at the injection site. There were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems, Erck said.

Novavax reported the results in a news release and plans to publish them in a medical journal, where they will be vetted by independent experts. The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company previously released findings from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa.

COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the coronavirus, especially the spike protein that coats it, and get ready to fight the virus off. The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of that protein. That's different from some of the other vaccines now widely used, which include genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, file photo, a Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine trial volunteer is given an injection at St George's University hospital in London. Novavax says its vaccine appears effective against COVID-19 in a large study, including against variants. Results from the study in the U.S. and Mexico were released on Monday, June 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File
The Novavax vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators, making it easier to distribute.

Novavax previously announced manufacturing delays because of supply shortages. The company now expects to reach production of 100 million doses a month by the end of September and 150 million doses a month by December.

The company has committed to supplying 110 million doses to the U.S. over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.

In May, vaccines alliance Gavi, a leader of the U.N.-backed COVAX project to provide shots to poorer countries, announced it had signed an agreement to buy 350 million doses of Novavax's formula. COVAX is facing a critical shortage of vaccines after its biggest supplier in India suspended exports until the end of the year.

Novavax has been working on developing vaccines for more than three decades but hasn't brought one to market. Its coronavirus vaccine work is partly funded by the U.S. government.

Dr. Peter English, a vaccines expert previously with the British Medical Association, called the Novavax results "excellent news." English said that because vaccine production is complicated, it's crucial to have as many shots as possible.

"Any minor imperfection in the production plant can shut down the production for days or weeks," he said in a statement. "The more different manufacturers we have producing vaccine, the more likely it is we will have availability of vaccines."

He said it was encouraging news that Novavax would be able to adapt its vaccine to any potentially worrying variants in the future if necessary

What is antiseptic? What does it do? Uses, benefits and risks
15 April 2020 | Category: Infections, Medicines Print
DeutschDeutsch
Share
Tweet
Share
WhatsApp
26SHARES

Antiseptics are antimicrobial chemicals applied to the skin or mucous membrane to prevent infection. Today, it is frequently used both in medical settings and daily life. They preventing the proliferation and spread of germs should not be confused with disinfectants with a fatal effect on microorganisms. With multiple ways of use, antiseptics are available on the market as solutions, gel, or cream. Baticon, alcohol and hydrogene peroxide are the most commonly used antiseptics; they are indispensible parts of surgical and first aid interventions.

Can Spirulina prevent coronavirus? Its benefits against Covid-19
2 April 2020 | Category: Nutrition and Diet Print
Share
Tweet
Share
WhatsApp
448SHARES

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is accelerating. There is no vaccine and definitive treatment; therefore, many experts recommend following the protection measures and strengthening the immune system. Well, how? Some studies point out some medicines such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), chloroquine or favipiravir, and some natural treatment methods. Spirulina, which is a type of seaweed, is the most mentioned natural method for prevention and treatment. It is suggested that it prevents many viral diseases such as SARS, hepatitis C and ebola. Studies show that it protects against RNA virus group including the coronavirus. You should consult your doctor before taking the supplement, which is extremely easy to digest with very few side-effects.

Table of Contents

Can Spirulina protect from coronavirus?
The link between Spirulina and coronavirus
Can Spirulina be used for coronavirus treatment?
Benefits of spirulina to the immune system
Health benefits of spirulina
Can Spirulina protect from coronavirus?
There are ongoing studies to find the treatment of COVID-19 (coronavirus), which has turned into a pandemic. However, there is no definitive treatment or vaccine. Therefore, it is critical to avoid the virus and strengthen the immune system as the coronavirus can be fatal for thoses with weak immune system. Spirulina, which is a natural supplement strengthening the immune system, has also been mentioned much.


Spirulina (Artospira) is a type of seaweed. However, it is different from usual seaweed. Besides its antioxidant effect, it has many benefits to the body such as lowering high blood pressure, balancing blood sugar level, regulating bowel movements, helping excrete toxic substances from the body. It is considered one of most nutrient-rich foods in the world.

The link between Spirulina and coronavirus
In the latest study published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases journal, spirulina may be very useful in fighting RNA viruses and it may also positively contribute to the treatment process. RNA viruses are a group of viruses with a genetic material of RNA (ribonucleic acid) and cause serious diseases such as SARS, sniffles, flu, hepatitis C, ebola, polio or measles. The coronavirus is also a virus that belongs to the group. (1)


Can Spirulina be used for coronavirus treatment?
In the above-mentioned study, fikocyanobilin (PCB), one of the components of spirulina, is reported to prevent RNA viruses function through their basic mechanism to proliferate in the human body. Experts also state that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of spirulina has been confirmed. (2)

Therefore, taking spirulina supplements enriched in fixocyanobiline can be both protective and therapeutic in the coronavirus outbreak.


Benefits of spirulina to the immune system
Spirulina is blue-green algae rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and antioxidants which may help protect cells from damage. It also contains various nutrients, such as vitamins E and B, beta-carotene, zinc, manganese, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (essential fatty acid).

In many laboratory and animal experiments, it was also confirmed that spirulina strengthened the immune system, prevented allergic reactions and had anti-cancer effect, as well as its antiviral characteristics. The antibodies contained in Spirulina increase the production of proteins and cells the body needs while fighting infection. However, further studies are required. (3)

How to boost your immune system against coronavirus? Ways and foods


Immune system is very important key against coronavirus? No effective treatment has yet been found against coronavirus. Therefore, boosting immune system is extremely important to prevent this disease. The coronavirus outbreak still prevails all over the world. As there is no vaccine, it is necessary to consider protection methods. Herein, personal hygiene and basic protection measures are extremely important. On the other hand, studies show that it is also important to strengthen the immune system. So what should be done to boost the immune system against the coronavirus (Covid-19)? It is important to live a healthy life as well as eating properly. In this article, we will try to give information about scientifically proven methods to strengthen the immune system against the coronavirus.

Table of Contents

How to boost the immune system?
Quit smoking
Sleep well
Do exercise
Stay away from stress
Do not drink alcohol much
Nutritional recommendations against coronavirus
Foods that weaken the immune system
How to boost the immune system?
The immune system is the basic protection system of the body against viruses, bacteria, and pathogens causing disease. It also helps body survive. It consists of cell and tissue connections, and when a harmful matter is detected in body, it counterattacks and destroys it. This is called the immune response.

It is extremely important to have a strong immune system for a healthy life. However, it is necessary to consider it in many dimensions. For example, quitting smoking or eating healthy is not enough alone; therefore, it requires a holistic approach. In this respect, some basic lifestyle changes are critical for a healthy life and protection of coronavirus.


Boosting the immune system against the coronavirus
Quit smoking
Smoking significantly weakens the immune system. If you smoke, you are much more susceptible to infections and serious complications. Moreover, those smoking are much more under the risk of respiratory infections such as pulmonary and chest infections. (1)

Although there is no sufficient evidence, patients with the coronavirus who are smokers and have cigarette-related diseases (lung cancer, heart disease, etc.) are considered to experience more severe complications than others.



Sleep well
Sleeping is critical not only to strengthen the immune system, but also for your general state of health. In a study, it was found that patients with insomnia acquired less immunity to influenza vaccine. In another study on twins, there was a change in the genes related the immune system of the twin not sleeping well compared to the other. (2,3)

Do exercise
Studies show that doing exercise reduces the risk of becoming infected. However, high-intensity exercises may weaken the immune system. Try to do exercise regularly every day as we have to stay home isolated due to the coronavirus. In this regard, low-intensity exercises like pilates, yoga or stationary bicycle should be preferred. (4)


Stay away from stress
Acute stress can temporarily increase the immune function; however, chronic stress has the opposite effect. Due to continuous stress experienced, cortisol levels may increase in the body, which negatively affects the immune system. Firstly, stay away from activities you consider source of anxiety. It may be social media or stock market tracking.

Although the increasin number of the coronavirus cases cause worry, its continuity may significantly weaken the immune system.


You may prefer activities that you can do at home, such as meditation or mindfulness exercises to lower the stress level. You can also spend time doing different activities (cooking, reading, listening to music, etc.) which you enjoy.

Do not drink alcohol much
During stress, alcohol consumption may increase in some people. However, studies showed that excessive and continuous alcohol consumption increased the risk of developing an infection. Moreover, an increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was observed in patients with the coronavirus consuming excessive amount of alcohol. ARDS is the pulmonary complication leading to most coronavirus-related deaths. (5)


Nutritional recommendations against coronavirus
Vitamin A
Vitamin A protects the skin, respiratory tract and intestinal epithelium which are the first line of defense mechanism of the body against viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. We need vitamin A to produce antibodies to neutralize the pathogens causing infections.


Vitamin A can be taken as a supplement. However, oily fish, egg yolk, cheese, tofu, hazelnut, whole grains and fabaceae are also natural sources of vitamin A. The body can also convert beta-carotene into vitamin A. You can consume green-leafy vegetables and vegetables containing beta-carotene such as carrots or zucchini to enable the conversion into vitamin A. (6)


Vitamin B
Vitamin B (especially B6, B9, and B12) contribute to the immune response when your body encounters a pathogen. They contribute to the process by enhancing the production and activity of “natural killer” cells preventing infected cells. Complex vitamin B can be taken as a supplement.

Natural source of vitamin B:
Vitamin B6: Grains, fabaceae, green-leafy vegetables, fruits, hazelnut, tuna fish, salmon, potato, chicken, beef liver and meat
Vitamin B9 (folic acid): Meat, fish, liver, kidney, whole grain, citrus fruits, green-leafy vegetables, fabaceae, and hazelnut
Vitamin B12: It is included in foods such as egg, meat, salmon, milk, cheese, shellfish, liver, kidney.

Vitamin B: Best foods sources, benefits and deficiency
10 April 2019 | Category: Nutrition and Diet, Vitamins Print
DeutschDeutsch
Share
Tweet
Share
WhatsApp
432SHARES
Vitamin B is the general term for the water-soluble vitamin group. In its entirety, it is classified in different groups such as Vitamin B12, B9 and B1. All Vitamin B types have different functions in our body. They can be found at adequate amounts in many foods. Therefore, vitamin B deficiency is not seen in individuals who are on a balanced and healthy diet. However, factors including age, sex, pregnancy, medication use and alcohol use may increase an individual’s need for Vitamin B. Vitamin B deficiency may present with symptoms like weakness, malaise, fatigue and forgetfulness. In this case, vitamin deficiency can be resolved by taking Vitamin B complexes recommended by the physician.
Table of Contents

What is Vitamin B?
The benefits of Vitamin B
Vitamin B sources
Causes of vitamin B deficiency
Symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency
Complications of Vitamin B deficiency
Treatment of Vitamin B deficiency
Vitamin B overdose symptoms
What is Vitamin B?
B vitamins have a crucial role for us to live a healthy and worry-free life. They are responsible for the health of our cellular and brain functions. They protect us from cardiovascular health problems. They increase muscle strength and help muscle formation in males. Especially pregnant women should consume vitamin B at adequate amounts. Vitamin B supplements taken by mothers-to-be alleviates nausea, increase energy and reduces the risk of preeclampsia.


What does Vitamin B do for you?
The common task of all B vitamins are to help converting the food we consume to energy. In other words, they provide our body with sustainable energy supplement. Other than energy production, each vitamin B has specific functions. For example, in addition to energy production, Vitamin B6 leads our body’s fight against infections. Vitamin B12 converts carbohydrates to energy and prevents our body to store excessive fat.


Vitamin B types and folic acid
There are a total of eight main Vitamin B types, namely Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12. Deficiency of any type of B vitamins may result in serious health problems. Symptoms are based on the type of Vitamin B that is deficient. The patient may present with different symptoms including fatigue, confusion, anemia and forgetfulness.

Also named as Vitamin B9, folic acid is an important vitamin which has role in DNA synthesis and cell division. Reducing vessel stiffness, this vitamin minimizes the risk of heart attack, paralysis and stroke. It can be found more in green-leafy vegetables. It was discovered in 194 in spinach leaves. Folic acid also plays a role in the development of fetal nervous system. When it is deficient, the cells cannot be divided adequately. Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women may result in many types of congenital anomalies.

The benefits of Vitamin B
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) enables the body use the carbohydrates as energy. It is necessary for glucose metabolism, and plays an important role in the nervous, muscular and cardiac functions. As with all the vitamins in B complex, Vitamin B1 is water-soluble. It helps prevent complications in nervous system, brain, muscles, heart, stomach and bowels. It also has role in internal and external transportation of the electrolytes from and to the muscle cells and neurons.


Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) contributes the conversion of foods to energy. It also acts as antioxidant and cleanse the body from toxins. Vitamin B2 is a water-soluble vitamin, and as with every water-soluble vitamin, it is transported via blood circulation and the unnecessary part is excreted from the body via urine. Vitamin B2 should be consumed daily as this vitamin can only be stored in the body at small amounts and is rapidly excreted.



Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B3 (niacin) is an important food that we need for each part of our body to function properly. There are especially studies showing that it increases good cholesterol (HDL) level and decreases bad cholesterol. Moreover, it helps prevent the second attack in individuals with a history of heart attack. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and vessel stiffness.

Vitamin B5
It helps convert carbohydrates, proteins and fats to energy. It increases the intracellular energy production which is needed for hormone synthesis. It has a role in antibody production. It has a stress-relieving characteristic. It modulates the functions of adrenal glands. It promotes red blood cell production. It protects hair health, helps it grow and prevents skin wrinkles.


Vitamins B6 and B7
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is involved in red blood cell production, neurotransmitter production and aminoacid metabolism. It facilitates brain development of the baby. Therefore, it should be taken at adequate amounts by pregnant women. Modulating gene expression, Vitamin B7 (biotin) is necessary for fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Folic acid and Vitamin B12 have many health benefits.

The benefits of Vitamin B9 (Folic acid)
It can divided into two subgroups as folate and folic acid. While folate can naturally be found in foods, folic acid is the synthetic form which is mostly present in processed or fortified foods. It promotes red blood cell growth. When taken at adequate amounts by pregnant women, it dramatically reduces the risk of birth defects.


The benefits of Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) supports growth. It is involved in red blood cell production. It also play a role in the modulation of the nervous system. It protects the individual from cardiovascular diseases. It stops early cell aging and supports weight control. It also has functions including repairing worn neurons and protection against cancer. Adequate B12 intake is important for a good hair and skin health. When it is deficient, the individual may suffer from serious complications such as anemia or Alzheimer’s.

Does Vitamin B help losing weight?
Vitamin B12 arouses a feeling of being full and makes the person lose appetite. Thereby, it enables the individual to lose weight easier. In patients with Vitamin B12 deficiency, malaise, unwillingness to move, fatigue and depression are frequently seen symptoms. Moreover, depressive patients also eat more. In this case the patient may gain excessive weight. The patient may lose excessive weight using Vitamin B12 supplement.

From which diseases Vitamin B protects us from?
Vitamin B1: It helps prevent illnesses such as beriberi which is characterized with cardiac, nervous and gastrointestinal disorders. Individuals with ulcerative colitis, persistent diarrhea and loss of appetite may take thiamine. Thiamine injections can be administered to the patients in coma.
Vitamin B2: It protects liver health and keeps the eyes, nerves, muscles and skin healthy. It prevents cataract development. There are studies suggesting that it prevent migraine headaches.
Vitamin B3: It regulates cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart attack, protects the skin health, is protective against diabetes and promotes brain functions.
Vitamin B5: It speeds up wound and burn healing. It protects liver. It is effective in rheumatoid arthritis and liver disorders. It helps with constipation. It strengthens the top layer of the skin and may help with acne treatment.
Vitamin B6: It prevents depression and anemia. Furthermore, it decreases the risk of infection.
Vitamin B9 (folic acid): It is protective against diarrhea and anemia.
Vitamin B12: It is protective against paralysis and high blood pressure. It reduces the risk of breast, colon, prostate and lung cancers. It is good for psychological problems caused by neurological damage such as depression, paranoia and behavioral changes.

Vitamin B sources
Each type of B vitamins are taken from different foods. For example, Vitamin B12 is mainly found in foods of animal origin such as meat and dairy products. Vitamins B7 and B9 can be obtained from fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin B1: Wholemeal cereals, milk, eggs, dark green-leafy vegetables, peas and liver are foods rich in Vitamin B1. Heating, cooking or boiling the foods destroys Vitamin B1. As Vitamin B1 is water-soluble, it gets mixed into cooking water. Brown rice contains 10-fold more thiamine than white rice.
Vitamin B2: Meat, eggs, dairy products, cereals, asparagus, parsley, artichoke, avocado, cayenne pepper, blackcurrant, pea, mushroom, hazelnut, pumpkin, rosehip, sage, green vegetables
Vitamin B3: Calf’s liver, beef, mutton, chicken breast, turkey, tuna fish, salmon, sardine, mushroom, peas, sunflower seed, tahini.
Vitamin B5: Mushroom, broccoli, cabbage, black cabbage, legumes, salmon, eggs, hazelnut, milk, cheese, wheat, peanut, soy beans and molasses
Vitamin B6: It can be taken from foods both herbal and animal origins such as fish types such as tuna and salmon, all kinds of cereals, beef liver, beef mince, potato, spinach, watermelon.
Vitamin B7: Eggs, salmon, cheese, yeast and liver are the best sources.
Vitamin B9: Meat, wholemeal cereals, citrus fruits, beet, fish, legumes, liver, kidney, fortified cereal are rich in Vitamin B9.
Vitamin B12: Meat, salmon, milk, cheese, eggs, fortified breakfast foods, shellfish, liver and kidney are the best Vitamin B12 sources.

Daily intake of vitamin B
Taking a healthy diet involving Vitamin B groups, you can be free of the possible health problems caused by vitamin deficiency. The Vitamin B amount you should take daily may differ based on the type of Vitamin B. For example, adults between the ages of 19 and 64 should take 1.5 mcg of Vitamin B12 daily. For folic acid, this amount is 200 mcg daily. If you are experiencing symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency, you can seek medical help as soon as possible and start to take Vitamin B complexes which contain 8 different vitamin.

Natural vitamin B sources
Liver, chicken and red meat are natural Vitamin B sources. Almost all Vitamin B types are found in red meat and chicken. Soy products like soy milk, fish like tuna and mackerel, and bean types like kidney bean and chickpea are also rich in Vitamin B.


Causes of vitamin B deficiency
The main cause of Vitamin B deficiency is having a diet poor in B vitamins. Also, following conditions may result in deficiency:

Pregnancy
Vitamin B12 requirement is increased in expectant mothers during pregnancy. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers using Vitamin B complexes is important for both their and their child’s health.

Old age
Old age is another possible cause of Vitamin B deficiency. Vitamin B12 and B6, and folate deficiency especially in patients over the age of 50 triggers depression and mood disorders. Individuals older than 50 years old may take precaution against these diseases by using vitamin B complex supplement.

Vegan and vegetarian diet
Vegans and vegetarians are at risk for Vitamin B12 deficiency. This is because Vitamin B12 is mostly found in foods of animal origin.


Some medications
Regular use of some medications may result in Vitamin B12 deficiency. Birth control pills may result in Vitamin B6, B12, B9 and B1 deficiency. Proton pump inhibitors and metformin trigger B12 deficiency.

Moreover, individuals with certain health problems are at risk. It means that these individuals have a high possibility of developing Vitamin B deficiency.


Health problems causing Vitamin B deficiency
Celiac disease
Crohn’s disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Ulcerative colitis
Kidney disorders
HIV
Inflammatory bowel disease
Symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency
Skin rashes
Sores and cracks around the mouth
Flaking on the lips
Swollen tongue
Weakness, malaise and fatigue
Being edgy and short-tempered
Abdominal cramps
Nausea
Bowel problems like diarrhea and constipation
Numbness and tingling on hands and feet
Stress
Complications of Vitamin B deficiency
Anxiety, panic attack
Depression
Mood disorders
Anemia
Mental derangement (B3)
Gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal cramps (B3)
Dermatitis (B6)
Peripheral neuropathy
Vitamin B test
Body’s Vitamin B12 level can be measured by Vitamin B12 test. In this test, your physician usually uses blood analysis. Other than blood, urinalysis may provide information about your Vitamin B level. However, certain medications may affect test results. Therefore, you must inform your doctor about the medications you use before the blood test.

The normal range of the Vitamin B12 level in the blood is between 200-900 nanogram per milliliter. A test result below 200 nanogram means B12 levels are low, and a test result above 900 means high.

Treatment of Vitamin B deficiency
After the Vitamin B deficiency is diagnosed by blood test, your doctor may prescribe Vitamin B complex supplements containing different B vitamins. Regular use of B complex supplements increases cognitive performance, reduces stress, and relieves the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Even when used by healthy individuals, they make the person feel more energetic and positive. Vitamin B supplements are usually suitable for oral use. However, in cases of severe vitamin deficiencies such as B12, the medications can be injected under your skin or into your muscles.


Vitamin B medications, pills and supplements
Vitamin B medications can be in pill, tablet, capsule, sugar-coated pill, ampoule and even syrup form. The most commonly prescribed Vitamin B medications are as following:

Cyanocobalamin nasal spray (B12 deficiency)
Biotin tablets
Riboflavin (B2 deficiency)
Thiamine (B1 deficiency)
Folic acid (B9 deficiency)
Becovital capsule (Multi-vitamin)
Menopace capsule
What is Vitamin B overdose?
Regular and excessive Vitamin B supplements may cause some individuals to have high Vitamin B levels. This is mostly used in individuals who use vitamin supplements without prescription. Vitamin B elevation is usually not seen in individuals with Vitamin B deficiency who use supplement according to physician’s recommendation. Excessive Vitamin B intake is also not possible with daily diet.

Vitamin B overdose symptoms
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Blurry vision
Excessive thirst
Increase in urine amount and urination frequency
Diarrhea
Skin problems
Red skin
Painful skin lesions
Photosensitivity
Liver damage

Benefits of Zinc: Sources, deficiency and side effects
22 June 2019 | Category: Nutrition and Diet, Vitamins Print
EspañolEspañol
Share
Tweet
Share
WhatsApp
36SHARES
Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods. Zinc deficiency causes major health risks, therefore, it is recommended by doctors as supplement to protect against diseases and to support the immune system. The most important role of zinc is its contribution to cell metabolism, function in protein production and positive effect on wound healing. It enables catalytic activity of approximately 100 enzymes, affects many biological functions and also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence. As human body cannot store it, required intake must be met regularly. Adults need approximately 8 to 11 mg of daily zinc intake to maintain the level; if this daily intake cannot be met by natural food, dietary supplement can be used.

Red meat, sea products, meat products, died nuts and some fruits are among the best sources. Zinc also protects against common cold and used inside many vitamin and pastils. Scientific studies showed that sufficient intake during winter time provide significant protection against common cold. In addition, studies proved that taking supplements at the early days of common cold and flu reduced the severity and duration of the disease.

Table of Contents

Health benefits of zinc
Food sources of zinc
How much zinc should I take a day?
Zinc deficiency
Symptoms of zinc deficiency
Zinc deficiency treatment
Side effects of zinc overdose
Health benefits of zinc
Zinc and Macular degeneration
Macular degeneration, known as yellow spot, is a serious condition leading to visual impairment. This disease is related to genetic predisposition, smoking and unhealthy nutrition, and one of the most important reason is zinc deficiency.


Failure to meet the amount of zinc needed by the body during and after adolescence may cause visual impairment over time. Healthy nutrition and zinc intake are very important for healthy eyes and vision.

Chronic fatigue
Constant fatigue and weakness are generally associated with working conditions and sleep irregularities. However, the body may feel fatigued due to insufficient intake of necessary nutrients. The most important mineral is zinc and it may lead to chronic fatigue is its level drops in the body.

It helps body to remain energetic and vital, therefore, it is very important to meet necessary daily intake.


Effect of zinc on immune system
Zinc deficiency can be detrimental for immune system. It hinders immune system’s ability to protect the body from foreign and harmful factors and makes people more vulnerable against disease. Immune system must function properly in order to protect the body against diseases and microbes.

Mild and moderate zinc deficiency negatively impacts macrophage and neutrophile functions. Macrophages and neutrophiles work as parts of immune system to protect body. It is important to consume zinc containing foods to protect against diseases, and supplements are recommended if required amount cannot be met through natural nutrients.

Wound healing
It is effective in maintaining the skin and mucosa membranes. Patients with chronic diseases have low serum zinc levels. In these patients, disease-related wounds worsen more rapidly due to deficiency. Zinc supplement is very important for prevention of wound formation or rapid recovery.

Doctors recommend supplements for some patients with chronic disease and receiving wound treatment.

Zinc against diarrhea
Its deficiency causes increased susceptibility to infections, such as those that cause diarrhea, in children. Reduced immune system functions due to deficiency lead to diarrhea especially in children. Studies show that zinc deficiency-related diarrhea is highly common in Southeast Asia, India, Africa and South America and causes child deaths.


Therefore, supplements are crucial for diarrhea risk. In addition, doctors may prescribe supplements for children with frequent diarrhea incidents.

Does zinc deficiency cause hair loss?
Hair loss in women and men can be common in adolescence and adulthood. Studies show that primary cause of hair loss is poor nutrition and mineral deficiency. Zinc is a very important mineral that enhances the hair follicles. Daily consumption of zinc sources reduces and prevents unexpected hair loss.

Skin health
It is an important mineral that protects skin health for its effects on tissue regeneration and wound healing. Acne, pimple, allergy and wounds of the skin can be reduced and healed with it.

Healthy nutrition is essential for the prevention of skin problems. Addition of sources, such as red meat, sea product and vegetables, to the nutrition supports skin to protect and rejuvenate itself.

Zinc intake during pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the most important periods during which required zinc intake must be met. Zinc intake during pregnancy is of vital importance in terms maternal and fetal health. Its content is highly needed by the developing fetus. It is very important for the configuration and repair of DNA functions and affects the development rate of cells.

Therefore doctors give nutrition recommendations for women having zinc deficiency during pregnancy, and help them for supplement intake. Pregnant women with deficiency put both themselves and their babies at risk.

Food sources of zinc
Vegetables with zinc
Vegetables are major nutrient sources for their vitamin and mineral contents and therefore very important for health. And zinc is one of the most important mineral present in vegetable and contributes to the health of the body. Nutrition plan must include vegetable in order to meet recommended daily intake.


Spinach, mushroom, gumbo, green peas and asparagus are rich in it. For example, one portion of green lentil contains 4.78 mg, one bowl of spinach contains 1.5 mg and one portion of mushroom has 1.3 mg zinc.

Animal sources foods
Animal sources foods are another nutrient group with high content. Red meat and sea foods are high in it. And this forms an ideal nutrition type to meet daily requirement of the body. Beef and mussel have the highest content.

For example, 80 mg of red meat meets majority of the daily zinc requirement. Sea foods and chicken are also ideal for daily zinc amount. Egg is another rich source among animal sources foods.

Dried nuts
Almond, peanut, sunflower seed, pistachio and cashew are rich sources. Eating dry nuts as snacks is also very important for weight control and health. In addition, a handful of dried nuts will be enough to meet some of the daily zinc requirement.

Dairy products
Dairy products contain less zinc in comparison to other sources, therefore they support daily intake. A slice of feta cheese in morning and a bowl of yoghurt for dinner supports intake. Dairy products are mandatory sources for people who do not consume meat.

How much zinc should I take a day?
Vitamins and minerals available in foods play an important role for the health. Each one them has a certain daily intake amount; this changes depending on the function of the vitamin and mineral. Zinc also should be taken daily. However, this amount changes depending on the age group and gender.

Recommended daily zinc intake
2 mg for 0-6 months old babies
3 mg for 7-12 months old babies
3 mg for 1-3 years old children
5 mg for 4-8 years old children
8 mg for 9-13 years old children
9 mg for 14-18 years old women, 11 mg for men
8 mg for 19+ years old women, 11 mg for men
12 mg during pregnancy.
Zinc deficiency
Its deficiency occurs due to nutritional and lifestyle habits. Some individuals can suffer from it because of their habits and conditions.

Causes of zinc deficiency
Alcohol
As vegetarian people do not consume red meat and sea products,
Iron supplement; high amounts of iron suppress zinc absorption.
Sickle-cell anemia, a genetic blood disease, causes deficiency.
Gastrointestinal diseases like reflux, gastritis, stomach ulcer and bleeding, diarrhea, indigestion

Symptoms of zinc deficiency
Slow wound healing
Hair loss
Chronic fatigue
Frequent diarrhea
White spots on nails
Slow development and growth
Age-related visual impairment (macular degeneration)
Weak immune system
Disrupted sense of taste and smell
Anemia
Acne and pimple formation
Dry skin
Zinc deficiency treatment
Healthy nutrition is the first priority to prevent it. Foods containing zinc must be consumed daily.
Red meat and sea products, vegetables, dairy products and some legumes are very important. These should be consumed regularly every day.
Conditions that cause deficiency must be eliminated. These include alcohol use, poor nutrition and excess iron intake.
Vegetarian people are recommended to give weight on vegetable intake or use supplements to meet their requirements.
Side effects of zinc overdose
As with all vitamins and minerals, it should also be taken in sufficient amounts. Excessive zinc intake may lead to unexpected conditions. And this is called toxicity or overdose. Consuming more than 200 mg of it on a single day causes nausea, stomach pain and vomiting. Daily intake of high amounts of it leads to disrupted copper absorption, iron deficiency and immune system problems. In order to protect and maintain the health in the best possible way, the amount of it determined by the doctors should be taken. Less or more consumption puts health at risk.

What is the benefits of iodine? Symptoms of deficiency and treatment
26 June 2019 | Category: Nutrition and Diet Print
Share
Tweet
Share
WhatsApp
77SHARES

Iodine is a chemical element which our body cannot produce but procure from foods, and it is necessary for thyroid hormone production. When iodine need is not adequately met, the thyroid hormone levels decrease and a serious of health problems arise. Diseases caused by iodine deficiency are one of the most common health problems in the world. Inadequate iodine intake especially during pregnancy and infancy may cause serious problems like brain damage and mental deficiency. In adults, deficiency results in goiter which means thyroid gland enlargement. Consuming iodized salt is helpful preventing these diseases. Moreover, consuming sea products rich in iodine at sufficient amounts is also recommended. In areas with deficiency, iodine tablet supplements are recommended to be used especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Table of Contents

What is iodine?
What does iodine do?
Causes of iodine deficiency
Symptoms of iodine deficiency
Diseases caused by iodine deficiency
Treatment of iodine deficiency
Iodine deficiency and pregnancy
Iodine deficiency in infants and children
Iodine deficiency nutrition facts
What is iodine?
Iodine is an important mineral which is commonly found in sea products. The body needs it, however, it cannot produce it itself. The necessary amount can be taken from foods. Unless added extra (e.g., iodized salt), foods have very low amount of it. Majority of iodine in world is found in sea life and oceans.

What does iodine do?
It is the essential substance to maintain a proper thyroid gland function. Thyroid gland uses it to synthesize its hormones. Thyroid hormones help growth and cellular damage repair, and control metabolism and other important bodily functions. The reason of decreased thyroid functions is low iodine levels. External iodine should be taken to prevent diseases caused by this.


Also, it has a killing effect on other microorganisms like fungi and bacteria. It can be applied as a ointment on the body for the treatment of some fungal skin diseases and diabetic ulcers. It is also used for water purification.

Daily iodine intake
0- to 5-year: 90 microgram/day
6- to 12-year: 120 microgram/day
In adolescents and adults:150 microgram/day
In pregnant women and during pregnancy: 200-300 microgram/day
Causes of iodine deficiency
Iodine deficiency affects millions of people worldwide. It is more common in countries where people do not have enough access to healthy food.

The most important causes of iodine deficiency
Living in regions with iodine-poor soil
Having an iodine-poor diet
Body’s inadequacy to process iodine
Also, vegetables which have antithyroid compounds such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprout, turnip, radish may have a role in deficiency by preventing iodine transportation in the thyroid gland. These foods should be consumed in a balanced matter.

Individuals at high risk for iodine deficiency:
Pregnant women
Individuals living in countries with iodine-poor soil
Individuals who do not use iodized salt
Vegetarians and vegans

Symptoms of iodine deficiency
Lump in the neck
Fatigue
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Dry skin
Weight gain
Puffy face
Muscle weakness
High blood cholesterol levels
Pain or stiffness in muscles and joints
Decreased heart rate, and as a result, dizziness and fainting
Hair loss
Depression
Weakened memory
Menstruation period being more severe than usual

One of the most common symptoms of iodine deficiency is lump in the front of the neck or goiter. Thyroid gland become prominent when it has difficulty to produce thyroid hormones due to its deficiency.

Moreover, since it contributes to regeneration of hair and skin cells, its deficiency may cause hair loss and dry skin. Since thyroid hormones affect the regulation of menstrual cycle in women, this period may be severe or regular in women with deficiency.


Diseases caused by iodine deficiency
Goiter and hypothyroidism are the most common disorders associated with its deficiency. Furthermore, individuals with it are at risk for following conditions:

Thyroid cancer
Thyroid-related autoimmune disorders
Female infertility
Prostate, breast, endometrial, ovarian and Larynx cancer
Heart problems such as enlarged heart or heart failure
Peripheral neuropathy: It refers to a type of nerve disease. Main symptoms include tingling and numbness, pinprick sensation, extreme sensitivity, color changes in skin, nails and hair, sores and ulcers on feet, sweating disorders, heart rhythm disorders, nocturnal diarrhea and urinary incontinence.

What is goiter? Causes, symptoms and treatment methods
18 March 2019 | Category: Ear Nose Throat Print
EspañolEspañol DeutschDeutsch
Share
Tweet
Share
WhatsApp
39SHARES

A goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland that causes the neck to swell above normal. It is one of the most common thyroid disorders. Goiters are often harmless but symptoms can occur, and treatment may be required depending on the size and type of goiter. Although goiters are usually painless, a large goiter can cause a cough and make it difficult for you to swallow or breathe. The most common cause of goiters worldwide is a lack of iodine in the diet. Goiter is a treatable disease and treatment depends on size of the goiter, your symptoms and underlying cause.

Table of Contents

What is goiter?
Symptoms of goiter
Causes of goiter
Risk factors in goiter
Goiter types
Diagnosis of goiter
Goiter treatment
Goiter herbal treatment
Recommendations to goiter patients
What is goiter?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck under the Adam’s apple. It secretes hormones that help regulate bodily functions, including metabolism. It also regulates heart rate, respiration, digestion and mood. If your thyroid gland grows above normal, it is called goiter. Goiter may develop in any human, but it has been observed that it is more common in women.

Goiter may heal spontaneously without the need for treatment, or it may be another symptom of a possible serious thyroid disorder that requires medical attention. This discomfort sometimes affects the function of the thyroid gland and may make the patient’s life difficult. Although goiter is usually a painless disease, sometimes it can cause coughing, difficulty in swallowing and shortness of breath.


The most common cause of goiter worldwide is iodine deficiency in nutrition. However, in iodized salt-consumed areas, a goiter is more often due to the over- or underproduction of thyroid hormones or to nodules that develop in the gland itself.

Symptoms of goiter
Most commonly, the swelling of the anterior neck
Difficulty in breathing or swallowing
Aphonia and hoarseness
coughing
Dizziness when the arm is raised
Feeling node in the throat
goiter
Don’t forget! Goiter does not always have a symptom



Causes of goiter
Iodine deficiency
The main cause of goiter disease is iodine deficiency in the body. In order for the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormone, the body should be able to receive enough iodine. In case of iodine deficiency, thyroid does extra work and thyroid gland grows more than it should. In the developing world, people who live inland or non-castal elevated areas are often iodine deficient and can develop goiter when the thyroid enlarges in an effort to obtain more iodine.

Graves’ disease (Toxic goiter)
A goiter can sometimes occur when your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). In Graves’ disease, antibodies produced by your immune system mistakenly attack your thyroid gland, causing it to produce excess thyroxine. This overstimulation causes the thyroid to swell. The most common symptoms are eye enlargement and increased thyroid hormone in the blood.


Hashimoto’s disease
Hashimoto’s disease is another important cause of goiter which caused by the inability of the thyroid gland to produce enough thyroid hormones due to inflammation. The pituitary gland begins to produce high amounts of THS (thyroid stimulating hormone) as it senses the low hormone level. As a result, the thyroid swells. The most common symptoms are weight gain, dryness in the skin, fatigue, chills, cramps, voice changes and constipation.


Thyroid nodules
Solid or liquid cysts (nodules) may cause swelling of the thyroid gland. These nodules usually have no connection to cancer and are harmless to health. But they should be thoroughly investigated when they are detected. Solid and fluid-filled cysts in multinodular goiter are seen on both sides of the thyroid.

Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer may affect thyroid hormone and trigger thyroid gland swelling. However, thyroid cancer is not a common cause. Thyroid nodule biopsy is used to diagnose thyroid cancer.

Pregnancy
Pregnancy may also cause swelling of the thyroid gland.

Inflammation
Pain and swelling are seen in the thyroid in case of inflammation. In this case, the hormone may be more or less secreted.

Risk factors in goiter
Iodine deficiency: Those who do not pay enough attention to iodine consumption, who have difficulty in accessing to iodine, those who live in remote and non-coastal climates are at risk.
Gender: Women compared to men have more tendency .
Age: Although sometimes goiter can be seen in children, it is more common in women and men over 40 years of age.
A number of medications used: especially cardiovascular medications and psychiatric medications can accelerate the development of goiter. People undergoing radiation therapy for the neck and chest are also at risk.
Medical history of the patient: Familial susceptibility increases the likelihood of getting a guater. People with goiter in their family can get this disease easier.
Menopause and pregnancy: The existence of a relationship between menopause, pregnancy and goiter is accepted in the scientific world, even if it is not proven.

Goiter types
Colloid goiter (Endemic)
This type of goiter caused by iodine deficiency is the result of the body’s inability to get enough iodine to produce thyroid hormone. These patients usually live in regions and countries where iodine deficiency has been observed.


Nontoxic goiter (sporadic)
This type of goiter is usually caused by lithium-containing drugs. There is no problem in the production of thyroid hormones in this disease. Lithium-containing drugs used in the treatment of psychological disorders such as bipolar disorder may cause nontoxic goiter. However, in some cases where the exact cause is unknown, they may cause non-toxic goiter.

Toxic or multinodular goiter
In this goiter nodule, one or more thyroid nodules may develop. In this case, thyroid nodules, ie, the tubers and masses found in the thyroid gland can produce hyperthyroidism by producing excessive thyroid hormone.


Internal, External and Toxic Goiter
The nodules (masses), which are apperantly noticeable in the neck region, are defined as external goiter, while the growth of the masses into the thoracic cavity is called the internal goiter. At same time, doctors can use term “toxic goiter” in order to state that the condition of goiter disease is advanced, that is, thyroid gland produces more than normal hormones.

Diagnosis of goiter
First of all your doctor does physical examination to evaluate the nodule in your neck to make a diagnosis. Then asks you to have the following tests:

Blood test: The causes of increase in hormone levels and antibody production are investigated.
Thyroid scan: During a thyroid scan, you’ll be injcted a radioactive isotope into the vein on your arm. The you will lie on a table with your head stretched backward while a special camera produces an image of your thyroid on a computer screen.
Ultrasound: Sound waves bounce through your neck and back by a wand like device, forming images on a computer screen. The images reveal the size of your thyroid gland and whether the gland contains nodules.
Biopsy: Small specimens are taken from the thyroid tissue with biopsy and these samples will be sent to the laboratory for examination.

Goiter treatment
Today, goiter is a disease that can be treated successfully, your doctor may suggest different treatment methods depending on the condition, size and symptoms of the disease.

Observation
If your goiter is small and does not cause problems and your thyroid gland works normally, your doctor may recommend a wait-and-see approach.

Treatment of goiter with medication
Especially when the patient has hyperthyroidism, it is prescribed medications to shrink the guater nodule. Mostly, levothyroxine drugs (Levoxyl, Tironsint, Synthroid) are used. In case of there is inflammation, the patient should be treated with aspirin, corticosteroids, etc. like medication eradicating inflammation.

Goiter surgery
If you have a large goiter that prevent breathing or swallowing, or if you have nodular goiter that causes hyperthyroidism, taking all or part of the thyroid gland (total or partial thyroidectomy) may give a positive result. Surgery is also the treatment for thyroid cancer. Depending on the amount of thyroid, you may need to use levothyroxine after surgery.

Treatment with Radioactive Iodine (RAI)
Radioactive iodine may be required in patients with toxic multinodular disease. In this case, the patient is given RAI. This drug, which is taken orally, goes to thyroid through blood and treats the destroyed thyroid tissue. As a result, size of goiter becomes smaller.


Goiter herbal treatment
The herbal treatment methods listed below may cause side effects especially in some patients who use medication. Thus, you should contact your doctor before using goiter herbal treatment methods. Otherwise, you may experience serious health problems.

Goitrogenic foods
Guatrogen nutrients are foods that reduce absorption of iodine in body, which may lead to the expansion of thyroid gland. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, soy products, cauliflower, radish, turnip, spinach, mustard, peach, strawberry and pear are guatrogenic foods. If you have goiter disease, consume these foods in limited amounts and take care not to take with guater medications.


Watercress
Watercress, a member of the crucifer family, may be preferred in the treatment of goiter. Crush the watercress, which is an excellent source of iodine then apply toughly the ready paste onto the area under the neck where it has a swelling. Wait for 20 minutes. You can benefit from this miraculous effect of watercress after applying it for 10 days. You can mix 2 tablespoons of watercress with half a glass of water. After 6 months of treatment, you can witness a serious improvement in your goiter.

Garlic
Garlic, which you can use during goiter treatment, reduces swelling in the neck and helps to secrete thyroid hormones in a healthier level. Chew 3-4 garlic cloves daily to make the most efficient use of garlic. You can benefit from the healing power of it by adding garlic to your meals.


Dandelion
Dandelion is a kind of herbaceous plant whose leaves can also be consumed as a salad, is also very effective in treatment of goiter. First take a 2/3 dandelion leaf and dip butter on one side. Then heat the dandelion-butter mixture. Fix this buttered leaf to your neck using a band or bandage. Wait for 1 hour in this way. Apply this for 2 weeks, 1-2 times a day.

Green tea
Drinking 2-3 cups of green tea during the day can contribute positively to your treatment. Green tea, an excellent source of antioxidants, contains natural fluoride, which makes the thyroid gland works healthily. To prepare green tea, put 1 teaspoon of green tea leaves into a cup of boiling water. Leave for brewing. After 5/10 minutes, you can drink your tea.

Lemon Balm
Another plant that is successful in the treatment of hyperthyroidism is goiter lemon balm which decreases thyroid stimulating hormone levels and treats goiter. Lemon balm, which is also rich in selenium, regulates thyroid function.


Sorrel leaves
The sorrel leaves which is a wonderful source of minerals like iodine etc. can be used in the treatment of goiter. Crush a handful of sorrel leaf. Then mix the paste with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Finally, spread the paste around your neck. After waiting 30 minutes, rinse your neck with warm water. Apply this treatment 1 time a day until your swelling in your neck recovered.



Recommendations to goiter patients
Because iodine deficiency is one of the most important causes of goiter, choose a nutritional program with plenty of iodine. You can consume plenty of iodised salt, eggs, shrimp, cow’s milk, cabbage, sea food, cod, natural yoghurt to eliminate your iodine deficiency. You can also eliminate the iodine deficiency of your body by consuming kelp, a type of algae that usually grows at the ocean shores. Kelp, which is rich in potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium, can prevent the overwork of thyroid.
Iodine overconsumption may also be the cause of , thus consult your doctor about this!

Selenium deficiency may be behind the worsening of your thyroid discomfort. So shellfish, onions, tuna, oats, meat, poultry, sunflower seeds, barley, brown rice etc. You can contribute to the healing of your goiter by consuming foods rich in selenium.
Limit guatrogenic food consumption as much as possible such as spinach, strawberry, broccoli, sweet potato, soybeans, cauliflower, turnip, cabbage, etc.
Avoid processed food, alcohol, soy products, coffee, soda consumption
Exercise regularly
Use B vitamin complexes under the supervision of your doctor
Use coconut oil in your meals.
Once a day, drink a glass of barley juice.
Use filtered water.
Have massage therapy methods such as reflexology and acupuncture.
Avoid heavy meals. Eat light foods as much as possible.