Discussion
The clinical appearance of COVID-19 begins within 14 days after
exposure; however, in most cases, symptoms appear after about 5 days,
and symptom onset is within 11.5 days in 97.5% of individuals (8).
Although there are a wide range of studies and references related to
COVID-19 in the literature, it is observed that the majority of these
studies are related to the acute onset and course of cases. The disease
has recently been identified. Because of its low recognition,
definitions and classifications were mainly based on clinical and
laboratory results. The symptoms are not specific to COVID-19, and they
may occur in many families of viruses. For this reason, there are few
studies on symptom characteristics. In the literature review, a detailed
study about the rate of decline or duration of relief of symptoms after
COVID-19 treatment could not have been found. Although the symptoms of
COVID-19 are similar to the general symptoms of virus infections, in
this study, it was concluded that symptoms caused by COVID-19 may last
longer than other virus infections. Even at a low rate, the duration of
relief of symptoms may last longer than a month. Symptoms such as fever,
headache, loss of taste and smell, myalgia, fatigue are common symptoms
of general viral diseases and they are considered less important by
patients. But the persistence of concerning symptoms to the patient,
such as chest pain or shortness of breath, may be an issue that needs
attention. These symptoms burden both people and hospitals financially,
sociologically and psychologically along with recurrent hospital
application.
An interesting point that was noticed in the study is that there had
been a serious complaint of hair loss in patients after COVID-19
infection, of which the majority is women (total: 42.7%, women:
34.1%). As can be seen in the Figure 3, no specific distribution was
observed in the complaint of hair loss by age. However, as the treatment
duration prolonged, the frequency of hair loss and shortness of breath
increased more in women (Figures 3 and 4). As Chen N. et al and many
studies had reported, anemia developed during COVID-19 infection (9). As
it was found out in the study, both shortness of breath, which continues
after treatment, and complaints of hair loss, may be seen at a high rate
and may continue for a long time. It is believed that these complaints
may develop secondary to anemia that develops during the disease. It is
not yet clear whether this anemia is classic iron-deficient anemia
treatment is needed. However, there is no consensus on the criteria by
which the complaint of shortness of breath should be monitored and how
long it should be followed up, and the reliability and necessity of
using imaging methods and pulmonary function tests in follow-up.