AHMEDABAD: For Gopi Darji (33), recovery from Covid-19 was uneventful.
She was home quarantined for 14 days and took basic medicines under guidance of an MD doctor.
What happened 15 days later knocked her out– she developed severe stomach pain that refused to subside.
Her general physician suspected gastritis and prescribed basic medicines to lower acidity and gas.
Two days later when her condition deteriorated further, sonography was ordered but it failed to reveal the source of Gopi’s suffering.
Finally, a CT scan showed massive inflammation on the pancreas.
In fact, so acute was the attack that 25% of her pancreas tissue had died and got infected.
“By the time the patient came to us, she was critically ill.
She was put on `nil by mouth’ nutrition, an antibiotic regimen and insulin for sugar control.
She has recovered well,” says gastroenterologist Dr Manish Bhatnagar.
He says he has treated 40-odd cases of pancreatitis in Covid and Covid-19 recovered patients in the past few months.
Experts say nearly 30% Covid patients report altered blood sugar levels, which may be indicative of impact on pancreas which house the insulin producing beta-cells.
Of these, 30% cases would report pancreatitis which can be mild or acute.
“The hallmark symptom of pancreatitis is severe pain in the upper quadrant of the stomach which lasts for more than two days.
It cannot and should not be missed.
Nearly 90% of pancreatitis in Covid patients are mild but 10% would have acute illness which needs to be addressed urgently,” said gastroenterologist Dr Nilay Mehta.
Dr Mehta said that if pancreas tissue gets necrosed, the dead tissue can get infected triggering complications.
“In a young woman patient, we recently had endoscopically puncture the stomach to go into the abdomen area and clean it of the dead tissue and fluid.
Meanwhile, a month after her discharge, Gopi still has to take oral medicines for her sugar control.
“Due to pancreatitis, her blood sugar levels went haywire.
Earlier, she was put on insulin but is now settled on pills,” said her husband Hemal Darji.