“We are still early on, and more research needs to be done,” he says. They have already submitted a research proposal for funding to study the patients on their road to recovery. In addition to helping patients recover from coronavirus, Shah says that following the patients will provide research opportunities. Shah says the team is looking to develop support groups for “The goal with this clinic is to allow people to transition to a regular and healthy life.” With patients stuck at home or alone, anxiety and depression often accompany the disease’s physical symptoms. If a family member is elderly or immunocompromised, the patient may be isolated from their family. There is a stigma around the illness, and often patients are unable to return to work or socialize if they were previously positive. In addition to physical ailments, Shah says the psychological damage the disease is also substantial.
#Monal shah skin#
Strokes, heart attacks, and hair loss that accompany stress are other symptoms the clinic has seen, in addition to a growing number of pregnant women who were COVID-19 positive.Īmongst the younger patients they have seen with COVID-19, he says they have witnessed multi-system inflammatory syndrome, gastrointestinal issues, skin rashes, and irregular heartbeats.
![monal shah monal shah](https://www.wjct.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/mind_body_spirit_mona_shah_844x1200.jpg)
Many of the patients are immunocompromised or have other conditions that made them vulnerable to the disease in the first place, complicating their treatment. Shah says the clinic is also concerned with blood clotting and liver function. Fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, and chest pain were the most common remaining symptoms. Though there was no fever or acute illness in these patients, 41 percent said they had a reduced quality of life because of the disease. Around 85 percent of people in the study had at least one symptom, with 55 percent having three or more remaining symptoms.
#Monal shah free#
In that paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, only 13 percent of patients were free of symptoms 60 days after their first symptom. Shah says the recovered patients are still suffering in several ways, and reflect research from Italy about patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Patients are referred to the clinic from hospital discharges, and the clinic does tele-visits and in-person appointments, depending on the need. In a part of the COVID-19 unit in Parkland, the clinic sees those who were formerly COVID-19 positive, monitored, and treated for lagging symptoms. The clinic has several purposes, but its genesis comes from trying to keep formerly COVID-19 positive patients away from other populations, primarily because experts know so little about immunity. Monal Shah is a senior vice president at Parkland Health and Hospital System, Chief Physician Advisor, and the medical director of the COVID-19 follow up clinic at Parkland.
![monal shah monal shah](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YTACWEq4Fck/UMqOTUQ_CVI/AAAAAAABVwE/bR-cwrQpKSk/s1600/Monal+Gajjar+Photos+At+Punnami+Rathri+Audio+%25283%2529.jpg)
To help track and treat these patients, Parkland hospital recently began a follow-up clinic for those who have been discharged. Even though the patients are technically “recovered” from the disease, that doesn’t mean they are symptom-free. She is trained in classical Indian music and enjoys singing.As the COVID-19 cases mount in Dallas County and across the state, healthcare providers have the task of following up with those who have been discharged from the hospital. Dr Shah lives in suburban Atlanta with her family.
![monal shah monal shah](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/tylerpaper.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/d9/4d9addf0-82bc-11ea-85b8-6f960224ace3/5e9d20e425916.image.jpg)
After that, she was a faculty member at The Emory University pediatric pulmonary department. After coming to the United States she started her residency in Pediatrics at Woodhull Medical Center, New York.Īfter finishing her post-doc at Stanford university, Dr Shah joined as faculty at UCLA Medical Center. She went on to complete her pediatric residency in India. Dr.Shah completed her medical education from BJ Medical College, Gujarat University, one of the top 20 medical schools in India. After that, she conducted research as a research fellow at Stanford University. Shah is fellowship trained at University of California San Francisco in pediatric pulmonary medicine. Monal Shah has over 15 years of experience practicing general pediatrics and providing pediatric pulmonary care for children’s lung diseases including asthma.ĭr.