AVASCULAR NECROSIS
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Context
- Many patients are being diagnosed with the long post-Covid complications of Avascular Necrosis (AVN), referred to as bone death.
Avascular necrosis
- Avascular necrosis is the death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply.
- Also called osteonecrosis, it can lead to tiny breaks in the bone and the bone's eventual collapse.
- A broken bone or dislocated joint can interrupt the blood flow to a section of bone. Hip bones are more prone to this.
Why are the Covid-19 recovered patients developing AVN?
- Primarily, there are two causes of AVN among such patients.
- It could be because of excessive use of steroids during Covid-19 treatment or the inherent ability of Covid-19 to cause blood clots which disrupts the blood flow.
What are the symptoms of AVN?
- A patient with AVN develops pain around the hip, joints and the movements get restricted.
- The patients find it difficult to walk and may start limping. Also, they will exhibit pain around the knee and lower back.
Treatment
- When the disease progresses in the first or second stage, core decompression surgeries are conducted.
- When it reaches the third and fourth stages, then joint replacement surgeries are done.
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