Your lasting breathlessness can be a sign of serious lung problems
Experiencing coronavirus symptoms long after the initial infection is not a new issue. Ever since the onset of the pandemic, long COVID has further degraded the health conditions and led to hospitalisation in several cases. From fatigue to hair fall, several health issues are being experienced by an individual after being infected with the coronavirus; the list is endless.
One of the most common symptoms is breathlessness.
Being an infectious disease of the respiratory system, coronavirus multiples in the lungs after entering the body, affecting its functioning in multiple ways. In severe cases, it leads to breathlessness, followed by pneumonia. The incidents of breathlessness are reported even months after the initial infection, which could be a sign of lung damage.
Persistent breathlessness can be a sign of lung damage
As per a new finding published in the medical journal Immunity, persistent breathlessness may be a sign of lung damage. The finds of the study made it clear that it can be the ongoing immune activity in the airways. It is a sign that your lungs have not healed completely from the damage caused by the infectious virus.
One of the authors of the study, Dr James Harker, from Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute, explained that long-lasting breathlessness indicates the presence of abnormal immune cells, generated due to COVID-19.
How they carried out the study
The researchers studied the cases of ongoing breathlessness in patients and detected the presence of altered immune cells in their airways. However, this does not mean that the condition can get worse. Persistent breathlessness if treated on time can improve the lung condition and prevent any further damage.
According to the study, the persistent breathlessness in COVID patients can be a COVID-19 active immune response long after the infection, leading to inflammation and injury of the airways.
What is the outcome
Breathlessness is one of the serious signs of the long COVID and ignoring it will give way to other health concerns. The finding of the study was determined by studying scans and samples of fluid extracted from the lungs. For the study, a total of 38 patients who had contracted the virus three to six months prior to the study were examined. The main objective of the study was to understand which immune cells are active inside the lungs that lead to the problem of breathless post-infection. All the patients examined were hospitalized and suffered from severe COVID infection. So, the researchers are yet to find if the same study is applicable in the case of people suffering from less severe diseases.
Read more: Feel breathless while walking? Know what’s normal and what’s not
The bottom line
Breathlessness is one of the hallmark signs of COVID related complications. So, if you witness this symptom after recovering from an initial infection then do not take it lightly. Talk to your doctor and get the correct treatment at the right time to avoid any untoward event.
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