KCRW For Some Surviving COVID-19 is First Step in Long Road to Recovery Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 22 September 2020 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW For Some Surviving COVID-19 is First Step in Long Road to Recovery A Cedars-Sinai nurse wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) used when treating COVID-19 patients. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. Jose Chavez RN, with personal protective equipment (PPE) in patient room. KCRW host Steve Chiotakis recently spoke with Isabel Pedraza, MD, director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai, about the long-term effects that some COVID-19 survivors may experience after becoming seriously ill. "I think of critical illness as a war that your body is waging against," Pedraza told Chiotakis. "You have survived, thankfully. But you can be left with a lot of residual effects of fighting that battle." She explained that the longer a patient stays in an intensive care unit (ICU) with a prolonged illness, the weaker they become and the harder it will be to recover. Daily activities, such as dressing, showering, feeding oneself or even swallowing may prove difficult after discharge. It can take years to recover fully, if at all, Pedraza told Chiotakis. Post-ICU, patients may suffer cognitive impairment that reduces their ability to drive, shop, cook, or manage their medications or finances. They may even experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the degree seen in some combat veterans. "We're worried about this with COVID-19 patients because this virus may affect the brain in ways that we don't yet understand," Pedraza said, "and that may lead both to worsening cognition as well as worsening PTSD, anxiety and depression." She emphasized that people should take the novel coronavirus seriously and wear masks – if not for themselves, for their loved ones who could end up caring for them after a serious illness. Pedraza explained that caregivers often suffer tremendous financial stress and run a higher risk of depression. "Wearing a mask seems like a relatively small price to pay to protect others or even yourself from a lifetime of problems, disability and impairment," she said. Click here to listen to the complete segment from KCRW. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics October 05, 2022 06:13 AM America/Los_Angeles Cedars-Sinai is opening free flu vaccine pop-up clinics to help the community combat the upcoming flu season, which is shaping up to be a rough one.“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to get their vaccines by eliminating barriers such … Read more Arm Yourself Against the 2022-23 Flu Season September 28, 2022 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Amid the loosening of COVID-19 precautions and a sharp increase in flu cases in the Southern Hemisphere, Cedars-Sinai experts are warning the public to prepare for a bad flu season this year.“Australia and New Zealand had their most severe flu … Read more New Data Show COVID-19 Vaccine Does Not Raise Stroke Risk August 24, 2022 13:01 PM America/Los_Angeles Newly compiled data evaluated by researchers in the Department of Neurology and the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai shows that COVID-19 vaccines do not raise stroke risk—but that severe COVID-19 infection does. Physician-scientists hope this … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contact Marni Usheroff marni.usheroff@cshs.org Share this release KCRW For Some Surviving COVID-19 is First Step in Long Road to Recovery Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home