Coronavirus: Major body organs affected by COVID; symptoms to watch out for

Two years into the pandemic, we have learned that COVID is not just a respiratory illness. It affects other body organs too. The incidence of COVID on other body organs is so adverse that sometimes the patient may require hospitalization.

With COVID, still being in pandemic stage, and in view of its consequence on other organs it is essential to know the basic symptoms associated with COVID which can guide the patient to seek medical assistance at the earliest.

The coronavirus requires a special type of receptor cells to enter the body. Whichever organs have these receptor cells are prone to the viral attack. The virus is known to worsen the condition of the organ through which it enters the body.

In the heart, COVID can cause acute coronary syndrome, congestive heart failure, myocarditis, and arrhythmias.

Though the reasons behind these heart complications are several, COVID's link can not be ruled out as many cases have come to fore ever since the pandemic happened.

Researchers have worked on the association of COVID with heart ailments. "Systemic inflammatory responses such as cytokine storms can cause myocarditis without direct viral infiltration. It can cause heart failure and arrhythmias. This can occur even after the acute phase of the infection has resolved and in the absence of lung damage," says a study.

People who already have heart issues should be careful as COVID can worsen the condition.

The common symptoms of heart issues seen during COVID are tightness in chest, cold sweat, breathing issues, irregular heartbeat and discomfort in arms, neck and jaw.

COVID has a direct pulmonary effect. Since coronavirus is known to infect a human body through the respiratory tract mostly, its impact on the lungs is inevitable. Due to immunological reactions, lots of debris and fluid get accumulated in the lungs.

In critical cases, it has been seen that the coronavirus attacks and damages the walls and linings of the air sacs in the lungs. This leads to inflammation.

The common symptoms are excessive sputum production, coughing, chest congestion and difficulty in breathing.

People suffering from COVID can show signs of kidney malfunction even if they do not have that condition before. As per research studies, more than 30% of the patients who suffered from COVID developed kidney issues later.

Kidney has the receptor cells which enable the entrance of coronavirus into the body. COVID affects the kidney due to abnormally low levels of oxygen in the blood which happens due to pneumonia. When the body's immune system aggressively reacts with the virus, it leads to a cytokine storm which can also affect normal kidney functioning.

Tiny clots formed due to COVID can clog the tiny blood vessels in the kidney and stop it from functioning normally.

The common symptoms that are seen when the kidney is damaged due to COVID are irregular urination, swelling in ankles and legs, swelling around eyes, shortness of breath, fatigue, seizures and coma.

As per a review study, more than 50% of the COVID infected people experience at least one gastrointestinal symptom. Diarrhea is a very common digestive symptom associated with COVID. Sudden abdominal pain without any other reason, nausea and vomiting are also seen in people during COVID.

Another rarely seen symptom of COVID which is associated with the digestive system is gastrointestinal bleeding. As per a study, gastrointestinal bleeding was seen in 3% of hospitalized COVID patients. Many studies have cited this bleeding as the worst outcome of COVID.

Read: How the COVID-19 pandemic has changed your body

In several cases the coronavirus was seen in the spinal fluid and brain cells of the patients.

There are several ways COVID can affect the brain. The coronavirus receptor cells are present in the cerebral cortex and brainstem, which facilitates the entrance of the virus. Clots formed in the COVID can narrow down the arteries leading to the brain causing a stroke.

The common symptoms of COVID associated with brain problems are seizures, loss of smell and taste, headaches, lack of concentration, behaviour change, and loss of consciousness.