/data/photo/2021/04/10/6071507c1a0b9.jpg "Risk Factors for Lung Damage in Post Covid Syndrome Patients")
KOMPAS.com – Covid-19 infection is a disease that mainly attacks the respiratory tract, especially the respiratory organs lungs. In fact, risk factors lung damage still have an impact on patients who experience Post Covid Syndrome.
Medical specialist Lungs and Respiratory Hospital Pondok Indah-Pondok Indah, dr Amira Anwar Sp.P, FAPSR said the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 can attack both lungs of an infected person, when oxygen saturation drops dramatically due to severe inflammation.
In this condition, the lungs will be filled with a lot of fluid, phlegm, and cells. This causes damage to the walls of the air sacs of the lungs, thus making the patient short of breath and experiencing pain pneumonia severe or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
“Because it mainly attacks the lungs, Covid-19 often causes scar tissue or damage to the lungs,” Amira said in a written statement received Kompas.comFriday (18/3/2022).
Risk of occurrence lung damage ie lung injury or scar tissue is what then causes post covid patient-19 may experience symptoms or respiratory disorders like pneumonia.
Respiratory disorders These consequences can persist for 4-12 weeks after being infected with Covid-19.
Also read: Lungs of Long Covid-19 Patients Experience Hidden Damage, Study Explains
“Even in some patients, it can happen” post covid symptoms-19 chronic until more than 12 weeks,” he explained.
In the case of common pneumonia, most people recover without any lasting lung damage.
This is in contrast to pneumonia caused by Covid-19, which can progress to severe pneumonia.
Even after the illness has passed, lung injuries from Covid-19 can cause breathing difficulties that may take months to improve.
Furthermore, Amira explained that there are many risk factors that can affect lung damage in post-Covid-19 patients. Including the following.
1. Disease severity
As it is known that the symptoms Covid-19 infection and post Covid syndrome quite diverse and can be different for each patient. However, Lung damage due to Covid-19 infection which can be severe for the patient.
Also read: Covid-19 Death Not Only Due to Comorbidity, Autopsy Shows Lung Damage
Covid-19 infection can cause mild, moderate or severe symptoms, with major clinical symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, weakness, muscle aches, cough, runny nose, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell or taste, respiratory system disorders, metabolic disorders, blood clots, storms cytokines and so on.
According to Amira, the severity of the disease indicated by the symptoms experienced by the patient, whether mild, moderate or severe, is sufficient to affect the risk of damage to the lungs of post-Covid patients.
“Patients with mild symptoms are less likely to have long-lasting injury or scarring in the lung tissue,” Amira said.
2. Health conditions
The risk factor that influences the subsequent lung damage is the patient’s health condition.
In this case, experts also believe that the patient has comorbid diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart disease which can increase the risk of the disease getting worse.
Also read: This Unique Scanning Technique Finds Lung Damage from Covid-19
In addition, elderly people are also more susceptible to experiencing severe cases of Covid-19.
Older people are more susceptible because this is related to lung tissue that has experienced aging or degenerative, so the condition is more inflexible when compared to lung tissue in someone who is younger.
3. Treatment measures
The last is the risk factor for the treatment performed by the patient.
The patient’s recovery and long-term lung health will depend on what type of treatment they receive, and how quickly treatment is administered.
“In patients with severe symptoms, proper treatment while in hospital can minimize lung damage,” he said.
Also read: Be careful, cooking with firewood can cause lung damage
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