Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a respiratory virus and disease. It is usually spread by small droplets from coughs and sneezes and from contacting the infected surfaces. Nearly 80 percent of patients who are infected with the virus will have anywhere from no symptoms to moderate flu-like symptoms, including a fever and cough. While the rest may develop more severe cases of coronavirus such as pneumonia or severe acute respiratory syndrome. And, for any Pulmonology treatment in Hyderabad, you must visit a well-know hospital.
COVID-19 especially reaches into your respiratory tract, which includes your lungs. It can cause a range of breathing problems, from mild to critical, as mentioned above. According to the doctors, older adults and people who have other health conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes may have more serious symptoms.
Let’s Find Out How Coronavirus Effect Lungs:-
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
If the COVID-19 pneumonia prolongs, more of the air sacs might become filled with fluid leaking from the tiny blood vessels in the lungs. Ultimately, shortness of breath sets in. This can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a form of lung failure.
Patients suffering from ARDS are often unable to breathe on their own. Therefore, they may require ventilator support to help circulate oxygen in the body. ARDS can be fatal, whether it occurs at home or at the hospital. And, those who survive ARDS and recover from COVID-19 may have lasting pulmonary scarring.
Pneumonia
The pneumonia that coronavirus causes tends to take hold in both lungs. As a result of which the air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid. Thereby, limiting their ability to take in oxygen and, thus causing shortness of breath, cough and other symptoms. Due to Pneumonia, breathing problems can become severe enough to require treatment at the hospital with oxygen concentrator or even a ventilator.
Although most people recover from pneumonia without any lasting lung damage, it is important to note that the pneumonia associated with COVID-19 may be severe. It is quite likely that even after the disease has passed, lung injury may result in breathing difficulties that might take months to improve.
Sepsis
Sepsis is another possible complication of a severe case of COVID-19. It typically occurs when an infection reaches, and spreads through, the bloodstream. Thus, causing tissue damage everywhere it goes.
Lungs, heart and other body systems work together. In sepsis medical condition, the cooperation between the organs falls apart. Hence, the entire organ systems can start to shut down, one after another, including the lungs and heart. Even when survived, Sepsis can leave a patient with lasting damage to the lungs and other organs.
Superinfection
If a person has COVID-19, the immune system is working hard to fight the invader. This can make the body more vulnerable to infection with the other bacterium or virus causing superinfection. And, more infection can result in additional lung damage.
Can Coronavirus Patients Reduce the Chance of Lung Damage?
There are things which patients can do to lower the chance of severe lung damage. For instance, people surviving with diabetes, COPD or heart disease should be especially careful to manage such conditions with monitoring and taking their medications as directed. Right nutrition and hydration can also help patients avoid complications of COVID-19. Hydration helps maintain proper blood volume and healthy mucous membranes in the respiratory system. This can eventually help to minimize occurrence of infection and tissue damage.
Is Lung Damage Due to COVID-19 Reversible?
After a severe case of COVID-19, a patient’s lungs can recover. But, a recovery from lung damage might take time. It can take about three to four months or more for a person’s lung function to return to pre-COVID-19 levels. Also, the patient should be prepared for continuing treatment and therapy.
COVID-19 is a new condition, and scientists across the world are learning more and more about what it can do to your lungs. According to them, the effects of this disease on your body are similar to those of two other coronavirus diseases, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). And, you might have severe pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), due to COVID-19, as mentioned above in the article.
In the most critical cases, your lungs may need help from a machine called a ventilator, as a solution for this medical condition. According to reports, few people have even needed lung transplants because of severe tissue damage from COVID-19.
Now that you are clear about how coronavirus effect lungs, you must take all the essential precautions to minimize the risk of being infected by this deadly disease. Although the vaccine is almost there yet it becomes crucial to be pro active and fight the spread of coronavirus, to save your and your family’s life.
