A rather worrying trend has surfaced in the treatment of the novel coronavirus. Patients who have no history of lung injury or breathing disorders have been coming back to the hospital with pulmonary fibrosis after getting treated for coronavirus.
The doctors at Mumbai's KEM hospital are worried about this trend of cured Covid-19 patients returning with pulmonary fibrosis or pulmonary distress. They have been coming back after a month or so of their discharge.
Returning cases at KEM Hospital
At present, there are 22 such cases under treatment at the KEM hospital. The hospitals' Critical Care Committee, which comprises of 10 members, including cardiologists, neurosurgeons, pulmonologists, endocrinologists, anesthesiologists and nephrologists, is treating and closely observing these patients.
It should be noted that no history of lung injury or breathing problems were reported by these 22 patients.
Doctors suggest that this condition of theirs could be linked to the coronavirus. It is a known fact that lungs are impacted with covid-19 but the damage caused to the vital organs after the virus has been treated is not ascertained yet.
What we know:
- 22 patients who recovered from COVID are back in the hospital.
- They cam back complaining of lung distress.
- Many had pulmonary fibrosis.
- No patient had a history of lung injury or breathing problems.
Dr Amita Athavale, professor and head, chest medicine at KEM, was reported as saying that nothing can be commented on the scenario as of now.
Dr Hemant Deshmukh, Dean, KEM Hospital, was reported as saying that all of the 22 patients had pneumonia when they were treated for Covid-19. He added that they were treated with new drugs like Tocilozumab, Remdesivir and steroids and they were on the high flow of oxygen.
Dr Deshmukh stated that a larger study needs to be carried out in order to understand if such damage can occur after a patient has recovered from Covid-19.
It was reported earlier that it is not necessary that people who suffer from respiratory diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis are at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19. They however might develop the infection and show severe symptoms than others.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had advised that such people should, therefore, take extra precautions in order to protect themselves and minimize the risk of getting the virus.
What is Pulmonary fibrosis
It is a lung disease that occurs when the lung tissue is damaged or scarred. The thickened, stiff tissue makes it difficult for the lungs to work properly. As pulmonary fibrosis worsens, the patient can feel shortness of breath.
