Dr. SANJAY AGARWALA
Since the inception of Covid-19, the infectious disease has been known to cause problems for the general public across the globe. One such problem has been associated with Long Covid where the blood supply to various parts of the body becomes poor and leads to Osteonecrosis.
Patients with Covid 19 are given corticosteroids for its management, but according to recent studies lower threshold dose of steroids makes patients much more susceptible to suffering from Osteonecrosis or Avascular Necrosis (AVN), known for death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply.
Avascular Necrosis (AVN) is known as the death of bone tissue caused due to the lack of blood supply. The condition can lead to tiny breaks in the bone and cause the bone to collapse. This process usually takes months to years to occur but leads to the need of joint-replacement surgeries.
When it comes to long covid, while patients were required to opt for surgical treatment methods like joint replacement surgeries in the past for these problems we have through various studies and researches developed bisphosphonate therapy which can eliminate the need of surgical treatment if detected early.
The pandemic caused due to Covid 19 has been a wake-up call for the global healthcare system and while we are out of danger for the most part, Covid 19 is still around and very much dangerous. Patients suffering from Covid 19 are given corticosteroids which helps in the management of the virus but after recovery, these patients start to experience pain in their joints.
MRIs have shown Osteonecrosis in these cases where patients require joint-replacement surgery for treatment but with Bisphosphonate therapy, patients can now be treated even without surgical procedure. The therapy helps in symptoms recede and the condition reversal.
Osteonecrosis of the hip are successfully treatable with Dr Agarwala ‘s well researched bisphophonate therapy, which is different from osteoporosis management. Recent publications in international peer reviewed journals have established the validity of his long-standing research results. This is a Made in India, for the World Treatment, strategy.
The patients, who experience pain in the hip or thigh post covid recovery, are required to opt for MRIs as early as possible in order to diagnose AVN. Patients with early AVN (Ficat-Arlet Stage 1 and 2), can be successfully treated with Bisphosphonate therapy. While corticosteroids are lifesaving in the management of Covid 19, it is important to follow-up if one experiences pain in the joints.
Early detection can lead to favourable outcomes for the patients but the fight against Covid has been a long and tedious one and it still isn’t over. Therefore, it is still important to be aware about these conditions and never neglect them in case of post recovery from covid. The general public at large should still follow covid norms in order to deal with these ailments.
(Dr. Sanjay Agarwala is Director – Professional Services, Head – Orthopaedics & Traumatology at P. D. Hinduja Hospital)
