- British doctors have sounded the alarm after examining a 33-year-old Covid patient with symptoms
- Has had an illness for the past 18 months which is believed to be due to a problem with the blood vessels
- READ MORE: Is Long Covid Overdone? An important new study suggests so
If your legs turn blue and purple tones after just a few minutes of standing, you could have long-Covid, a new study says.
Doctors in the UK sounded the alarm after meeting a 33-year-old Covid survivor who, after standing for just a minute, noticed his legs were beginning to redden and take on a bluish tinge, with his veins becoming more prominent.
The condition known as acrocyanosis was not considered a possible by-product of overcoming Covid infection, but Leeds University doctors who treated the patient said it required further investigation.
This would add to an ever-growing list of conditions thought to be linked to long-Covid, a constellation of ongoing health problems that persist for weeks or even longer after the infection is overcome.
The 33-year-old patient presented to doctors 18 months after recovering from Covid. They diagnosed him with a condition that causes the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions, to be disrupted as a result of the infection
dr Manoj Sivan of the University of Leeds, who treated the patient, explained that the bluish tone in the patient’s legs was much “pronounced” after about ten minutes of standing. But the color returned to normal when he sat down again.
The discoloration is caused by a condition called acrocyanosis, which causes reduced blood flow to the extremities, leading to decreased oxygenation in the blood.
While lying down, his heart rate and blood pressure were within normal ranges, but after standing still for eight minutes, his heart rate remained high at 127 beats per minute.
Doctors diagnosed him with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that causes an abnormal increase in heart rate when standing.
The patient also reported accompanying symptoms such as foggy and trembling sensations, as well as tingling, itching and heaviness in the legs.
dr Sivan said: “This was a striking case of acrocyanosis in a patient who was unaffected prior to his Covid-19 infection.”
He added that acrocyanosis has already been observed in children with an autonomic nervous system dysfunction, also called dysautonomia, a common symptom of the disease that occurs after a viral infection.
“Patients who experience this may not be aware that it can be a symptom of Long Covid and dysautonomia and may be concerned about what they are seeing.”
“Similarly, physicians may not be aware of the link between acrocyanosis and Long Covid.”
Long Covid is still not well understood. It’s a broad umbrella term that’s been blamed for prolonged fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, and more symptoms. For millions of people, these symptoms impact their daily lives.
The US government estimates that 23 million Americans suffer from long-Covid, which means symptoms that persist for months after the initial infection has been overcome.
About three years after the pandemic virus first emerged, the disease is still poorly understood.
dr Sivan added, “We must ensure that awareness of Long Covid dysautonomia is raised so that physicians have the tools they need to treat patients appropriately.”
Previous research by the team led by Dr. Sivan have shown that both dysautonomia and POTS often develop in people with Long Covid.
Dysautonomia is also seen in other long-term conditions such as fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME.
dr Sivan, Associate Clinical Professor and Honorary Advisor in Rehabilitation Medicine at Leeds School of Medicine, added: “We need more awareness of dysautonomia in long-term conditions; more effective assessment and management approaches; and further research into the syndrome.
“This will allow both patients and physicians to better manage these conditions.”