Anemia from long hauler COVID-19

doi:10.15406/mojgg.2022.07.00293

MOJ

eISSN: 2574-8130

Gerontology & Geriatrics

Opinion Volume 7 Issue 3

Anemia from long hauler COVID-19

Paul TE Cusack

Verify Captcha

Regret for the inconvenience: we are taking measures to prevent fraudulent form submissions by extractors and page crawlers. Please type the correct Captcha word to see email ID.

Independent researcher, Canada

Correspondence: Paul TE Cusack, Independent Researcher, 23 Park Ave, Saint John, NB E2J1R2, Canada

Received: August 02, 2022 | Published: September 23, 2022

Citation: Cusack PT. Anemia from long hauler COVID-19. MOJ Gerontol Ger. 2022;7(3):63. DOI: 10.15406/mojgg.2022.07.00293

Download PDF

Opinion

As a patient dealt with in this aper turned 50 (a long-term sufferer of schizophrenia and panic attacks), he received in the mail a colon cancer screening test from the government. All that is required is to take a small sample of the stool and mail it back to public health for testing. This was done at age 50 and again at 52. The tests came back negative.

At age 55, the patient noticed a feeling of pain like a hernia across the lower abdomen. Also, a pain was felt near the appendix. The pain in the appendix was temporary and the hernia was forgotten about. He also has a fungus that he has had for over 5 years on the underside of his leg under the skin.

Then, in a yearly blood test for diabetes (the patient was on Olanzapine for schizophrenia), the red blood cell count was down and the cholesterol. This was discovered in early March of 2022.

The blood test was repeated March 25, 2022 to test for iron deficiency. A colonoscopy was requested by the primary physician scheduled for April 14^th, 2022. A follow up with the primary physician was scheduled for April 29, 2022.

The patient noticed fatigue after the low red blood count (90). And he has been constipated for many years. He noticed narrow stools on April 1^st indicating perhaps a tumor in the bowel.

The patient had been prescribed polyethylene glycol (17 g) for constipation in 2017. However, it was only taken periodically when needed. Cancer is caused by hydrogen peroxide. There is an OH end of the polyethylene glycol (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Polyethylene glycol molecule.

The patient had fatigue from my sickness. He had to take a nap in the afternoon. His mouth is breaking out in soars. And his joints ache. His abdomen aches as well.

The patient had COVID-19 beginning in December in 2019 and lasting 1.5 years every three weeks. He is a “COVID long hauler” The virus is known to affect the kidneys. Kidney ailments can cause anemia – low iron or red blood cell count. Despite some symptoms of Colon Cancer, the patient probably had Chronic Kidney Failure due to COVID-19 which leads to anemia.

Why do people with kidney disease get anemia?

Your kidneys make an important hormone called erythropoietin (EPO). Hormones are chemical messengers that travel to tissues and organs to help you stay healthy. EPO tells your body to make red blood cells. When you have kidney disease, your kidneys cannot make enough EPO. Low EPO levels cause your red blood cell count to drop and anemia to develop Anemia and Chronic Kidney Disease | National Kidney Foundation.

Kidney involvement is common in patients with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, and subclinical inflammation and injury may persist for many months, resulting in a progressive decline in kidney function that leads to chronic kidney disease. Continued research is imperative to understand these long-term sequelae and identify interventions to mitigate them.^1,2