Sudden fatigue, drop in platelets also Covid symptom

Lucknow, April 26

Sudden fatigue with a sudden drop in platelets in the blood is also a symptom of Covid-19 in the initial stages, while fever and extreme breathlessness develop later.

According to medical experts, if ignored, these initial symptoms could prove to be fatal.

Prof Santosh Kumar, respiratory medicine department KGMU, said, “In every viral infection, platelet count drops. Therefore, one should not ignore fatigue and exhaustion and get themselves tested for Covid-19.” Although, general Influenza-like symptoms are common in Covid-19 new symptoms are diarrhoea, red eyes, rashes and fatigue.

Dr Vikram Singh, faculty at the department of medicine in Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, said, “Extreme fatigue and malaise are among the symptoms of viral fever. And since, Covid is also a type of viral people can experience both the symptoms with fever in Covid also. In a normal person platelet count ranges between 1.5 lakh to 4.5 lakh per litre of blood but in some of the cases, it is seen that the platelet count has reached 75,000 to 85,000 per litre. This low platelet count sometimes is mistaken by the patients as dengue or other diseases. We suggest if a person is feeling exhausted and extremely tired. They must get tested for Covid-19.”

Medical experts in Lucknow said that there have been over a dozen cases where the patients experienced extreme fatigue but did not consult a doctor.

When their condition worsened, the blood test showed a drastic drop in platelet count. The patient then developed breathing problems and died without oxygen support.

–IANS