A paper has been submitted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) seeking approval for a multicentric trial to inspect AVN in coronavirus patients for a clinical explanation. This was an illness that was discovered to be related to smoking, alcoholism, and steroid use before Covid. There were several health issues related to the patients infected with the second wave of COVID-19 that continue to rise as many are being diagnosed with the long-running post-Covid-19 infections of Avascular Necrosis (AVN), also referred to as bone death.
What is an AVN?
AVN illness was discovered to be related to smoking, alcoholism, and steroid use before being infected with COVID-19 virus. AVN, or Osteonecrosis, is a common cause of painful hips in youth. In this, the bone breaks into small pieces because of which the patient has to endure unbearable pain and complete movement loss. AVN particularly takes place in the hip bones of the patients.
Why are the Covid-19 patients developing AVNAIIMS?
According to reports,50 coronavirus patients who underwent surgery for AVN have developed Avascular Necrosis cases and among them five patients underwent hip replacement surgery. Thus far, major private hospitals in Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala, which had a high caseload of coronavirus cases last year, have reported an average of ten such cases till now. However, it was also seen that patients developed acute pneumonia that necessitated large doses of steroids as a life-saving therapy. When used for the treatment of coronavirus patients with low oxygen levels, excessive and prolonged use of steroids leads to lower immunity. 12 out of 50 patients received no steroids according to AIIMS.
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Dr Pradeep Bhosale, Director of Arthritis and Joint Replacement Surgery at Nanavati Hospital, Mumbai was quoted in the Indian Express that, “It could be due to excessive use of steroids during Covid-19 therapy or the inherent capability of Covid-19 to produce blood clots, which disrupts the blood flow.” According to doctors, if blood supply to the heart declines, the patient may have a heart attack too. A stroke can be caused by an avascularity in the brain.
In May 2021, Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, Mumbai, published a research paper on Avascular necrosis, which included only three case reports. Patients with AVN after steroid use take six months to a year, according to one of the main findings.
During the second wave, a large number of Covid-19 patients developed or died, resulting in blindness, organ failure, loss of body tissue, and even death. Mucormycosis is caused by a family of moulds called mucor Due to an inadvertent blood supply to the affected area, the infection causes tissue death. Doctors blamed this on the unregulated use of steroids, which harmed immunity, particularly among diabetic patients. Dr Randeep Guleria, the director of AIIMS, has stated that overuse of steroids should be monitored because a dysfunctional immune system is a significant contributor to the fungal infection. Dr Rajesh Malhotra, the head of the orthopaedics department and chief of trauma center at AIIMS, has submitted a proposal to conduct a multicentric investigation in India, which includes cases from Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala that reported Dr Malhotra also wondered how much is too much for such patients.
