In Britain, thousands of people who have recovered from a serious Covid-19 attack are being advised to go to hospital to see if their lungs have been permanently damaged.
Doctors in Britain have told the BBC that those who have been seriously infected with the coronavirus fear a large portion of their lungs could be severely damaged, called pulmonary fibrosis.
There is no cure for this damage to the lungs, and the symptoms are severe shortness of breath, cough and fatigue.
Centers for specialist counseling and rehabilitation of patients who have recovered under the National Health System of England have been opened.
A taxi driver in England, whose condition deteriorated after being infected with covid and who had to be hospitalized for about four weeks, including a 13-day ventilator, has been receiving treatment at such a rehabilitation center for two more weeks after being released from the hospital.
Returning home in mid-April, six weeks after recovering, Anthony McHugh is still gasping for breath as he climbs stairs or does simple chores. He is having trouble breathing even though he is getting low.
Lining of the lungs
A CT scan at the hospital showed a white fog covering both of his lungs after he was infected with the coronavirus - much like broken glass. Doctors say it is a feature of coronavirus attacks.
When the coronavirus is severely infected, when the body's immune system becomes overly active, it produces large amounts of mucus, water, and cells, which fill the airways in the lungs called alveoli. When this happens, pneumonia occurs and it is not possible for people to breathe without help.
 |
| Before Corona Virus Attack |
 |
| After Corona Virus Attack |
Mr. six weeks after the attack. McHugh's X-rays showed a white shadow-like layer on his lungs, which doctors say was an early sign of pulmonary fibrosis.
A member of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging and advisor to the Royal College of Radiologists. "It's usually six weeks after a virus infection that the lungs return to normal - at least that's what doctors expect. But that's not the case, and that's why it's a cause for concern," says Sam Hare.
What is pulmonary fibrosis?
Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease in which the soft parts of the lungs are damaged and there are sores.
- This causes the lung tissue (tissues) to become thick and stiff, so that the air sacs in the lungs cannot function properly.
- In some patients, this results in difficulty breathing and fatigue. Not only that, but the risk of developing other types of lung infections increases in the future.
- This disease is not curable. On the contrary, in some cases it can take a more serious form i.e. the condition of this patient is deteriorating day by day.
- Research into the damage to the lungs caused by Covid-19 is still in its infancy.
The idea is that those with mild symptoms are less likely to have permanent damage. But those who have to be treated in hospital, especially those who need intensive care or who are in a very serious stage of the infection, are at risk of developing complications in the future.
A survey conducted in China in March found that 7 out of 60 corona patients who recovered had lung problems after being released from hospital.
Radiologists in the UK say based on initial scan tests of patients who have recovered, those who become more ill with covid are more likely to be at risk of long-term harm.
"Six weeks after recovery, the lung scans of the patients we saw showed that 20 to 30 percent of the patients treated at the hospital had clear signs of lung lesions," he said. Hair.
Other radiologists have told the BBC the same concerns, they are seeing the same pattern.
The two coronavirus infections we've seen before - SARS and MARS - caused some health problems, such as pulmonary fibrosis, in 20 to 60 percent of patients.
However, it was possible to deal with SARS and Mars relatively more successfully. But the Kovid-19 virus has spread widely around the world. And at the time of writing, more than 6 million people have been affected.
"My main concern is that Kovid-19 has infected a large population," he said. Hair.
"The virus has infected so many people, so the number of people crippled by the virus in the long run is alarmingly large."
Future Treatment
Lung fibrosis or thickening of the lung walls cannot be cured, because once the lung cells are damaged, they become permanent. However, with new drugs, this level of damage can be reduced. It may be possible to delay or prevent it, but it is important to catch up with the problem.
"We need to understand how serious the problem is and know exactly when to stop it," said Jessely Jenkins, a researcher and professor at the National Institutes of Health in the UK.
"Never before in our lives have so many people suffered such lung injuries at the same time."
So evaluating the long-term damage to patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and whether it can help them reduce this loss is now another major challenge for researchers and medical professionals.
0 Comments