“Fatigue is a predominant and very debilitating factor, present afterwards in both hospitalised and non-hospitalised Covid patients. Fatigue and associated symptoms decrease quality of life and interfere with normal working capacity,” Dr Anoop Misra, Executive Chairman and Director, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Fortis C-DOC, shared in a statement.
“In addition, diabetes poses challenges in the recovery of patients. It is imperative, therefore, for chronic diabetic patients to follow a healthy lifestyle, adhere to treatment guidelines and go for regular health checks,” added Misra, who is also a Padma Shri recipient.
The team assessed the prevalence of fatigue among 108 Type-2 diabetes patients using the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ-11) and handgrip strength (as a surrogate marker for sarcopenia or muscle mass and power) after Covid-19 infection. They compared them against patients with diabetes without a history of Covid-19 (52 Type 2 diabetes patients with Covid vs 56 Type 2 diabetes patients without Covid).
While Type-2 diabetes patients who had Covid-19 showed significantly more fatigue compared to those who did not have Covid-19, both groups had comparable handgrip strength.
