The latest research highlights the importance of being aware of acrocyanosis and explores the link between Long Covid, dysautonomia, and Fibromyalgia in autonomic medicine. A patient’s legs turned blue after standing for several minutes, which is not common among other conditions.
According to a rare case of Long Covid patients, researchers who noticed their legs turned blue after 10 minutes of standing should be more widely known among people with the condition, as published in The Lancet.
A 33-year-old man who developed acrocyanosis, characterized by the pooling of venous blood in his legs, is the subject of an analysis conducted by Dr. Manoj Sivan at the University of Leeds.
The patient’s encounter is what makes the difference.
After standing for a minute, the patient’s legs began to redden and become blue over time, with the veins becoming more prominent. After 10 minutes, this color became more noticeable, and the patients reported feeling heavy and itchy on their legs. The original color returned after two minutes of resting their foot in non-standing positions.
The patient reported that he had developed this discoloration after being infected with COVID-19. He was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which is caused by an abnormal increase in heart rate when standing.
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The patient had acrocyanosis before being infected with COVID-19, which was subsequently reported as an unusual case by Dr. Sivan, Associate Clinical Professor and Honorary Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Leeds’ School of Medicine.
The patient may not be aware that it can be a sign of Long Covid and dysautonomia, and they may experience unease about the appearance. Additionally, clinicians may lack knowledge about long-codone involvement in affliction such as crocyanosis.
It is important to raise awareness about Long Covid so clinicians have the tools they need to effectively treat patients with dysautonomia.
Long Covid and Related Conditions
The autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart rate, is affected by Long Covid, a condition that affects various body systems and causes varying symptoms.
In children with autonomic nervous system dysfunction (dysautonomia), acrocyanosis has been observed in many cases of post-viral syndromes.
The team led by Dr. Sivan has previously demonstrated that Long Covid sufferers frequently exhibit both dysautonomia and POTS.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME, and other long-term conditions such as Fibromyalgia and Myalgolic Encephalomyelitis are also characterized by dysautonomia.
The conclusion
According to Dr. Sivan, there is a need for increased awareness regarding dysautonomia in chronic conditions, as well as improved assessment and management techniques and research on the syndrome, which will aid patients and clinicians in managing it more effectively.
The team’s recent work in autonomic medicine includes a home test for individuals with symptoms of autonomies dysfunction, which include long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and diabetes 1 and 2, where people experience dizziness or blackouts.
“The Lancet’s study on Venus insufficiency and acrocyanoses in COVID: dysautonomia,” written by Nafi Iftekhar and Manoj Sivan, FRCP Edin, published in August 2018, 12 August 2023.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736 (23)01461-7.