COVID illness may cause what doctors describe as “restless anal syndrome”.
It’s as bizarre as it sounds, causing a person to feel they constantly need to move in order to relieve the “restlessness” in their anus.
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Doctors in Japan reported the problem in a 77-year-old man, the first to be medically recorded in a journal.
Writing in BMC Infectious Diseases, they said the older male, who has not been named, was treated for “mild” coronavirus at Tokyo Medical University Hospital.
He experienced anxiety and insomnia while he was there, but he did not feel better after his acute illness resolved.
“Several weeks after discharge, he gradually began to experience restless, deep anal discomfort,” The doctors confirmed this.
“Before affecting Covid-19, he had never experienced anal restless and discomfort.”
His symptoms were mostly located about 10cm above and around his perineum (the area between the genitals, anus and genitals).
This pain was worse with rest and in the evening, and gave the man a constant urge to move – hence the word “restless”.
The symptoms were not alleviated by using the toilet.
“Exercise such as walking or running and enthusiastically playing the television game made the symptoms relief, while taking a rest made the symptom worsen,” The report stated that.
To get a restful night without pain, the man needed to take sleeping pills.
The examination revealed that the man was suffering from haemorrhoids, or piles, which can be lumps found in the anus.
Doctors diagnosed resting anal syndrome, a variant of restless legs syndrome.
Because of a weakness in the nervous system, restless legs syndrome can cause an overwhelming desire to move one’s legs.
According to doctors, restless legs syndrome has been reported by Covid survivors in the weeks after their illness.
It is one of the many symptoms of long Covid.
It was found that the male patient suffered from the same symptoms as the female, but in a different area. The arms, face and mouth were affected.
The paper said: “Because he had never experienced anal restless and discomfort before affecting Covid-19 and the anal restless symptom developed after Covid-19, we considered that these anal restless symptoms were suggested the Covid-19 related syndrome.
“This virus may spread to the central nervous system through several potential routes.”
Covid has been linked to neurological symptoms such as confusion, loss of taste and smell, and confusion in older patients.
Typical restless legs syndrome medication worked to relieve the poor man’s symptoms, and he was still cured after 10 months.
The NHS states that neurologists think restless legs syndrome might be due to an issue with the body’s ability to handle a chemical called “dopamine”.
Dopamine plays a role in muscle movement control.
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