Long COVID Lung Damage – It’s been more than two years since the world saw its first pandemic in the 21st century. The spread of novel coronavirus started in November 2019 in China and spread into the whole world. Scientists had made vaccines to contain the spread, but they don’t seem to be succeeding in it.
After trying and testing, the world came to know that there is nothing much we can do to contain the spread. We can do regular testing and maintain social distance to contain the spread of COVID-19. Vaccines are somewhat effective, but not many people trust them.
What is long COVID lung damage?
It’s been a long time since the world saw the first wave of COVID-19. As per one estimation, More than 400 million people have been affected by the novel coronavirus, and around 6 million people have lost their lives.
These are just the reported numbers, and we don’t know About unreported cases of the COVID-19. That is why scientists are now more interested in the aftermath and long-term effects of COVID-19.
It has so many names, such as post COVID conditions, long COVID, chronic COVID, etc., but the intent of all these terms is the same. It is proven that there are some post-covered long-term symptoms.
Recently health care providers are reporting long-term impacts of COVID-19, and the lungs are the first organ that gets affected by a novel coronavirus.
There are many chances that long COVID lung damage can happen in all of the patients, even those who did not develop any symptoms when they first caught the virus.
Long COVID lung damage conditions
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, and just like other respiratory illnesses, it can also cause long-lasting lung damage. Day after day, scientists are learning more about COVID-19 and its aftereffects on different organs such as the lungs.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a very common lung problem in patients with serious COVID symptoms.
As you already know that in pneumonia, the lungs get filled with fluid and inflamed eventually, which leads to breathing difficulties.
Generally, people don’t require any oxygen or ventilator to treat pneumonia, but if it becomes severe, there is a possibility. Similarly, pneumonia caused by the COVID-19 also makes it very hard for people to breathe.
If anyone gets pneumonia due to other reasons, they might recover from it without any long-lasting lung damage.
On the other hand, it has been proved that pneumonia caused by the COVID-19 can be severe and it can have lasting lung damage. In some people, it might take more than a few months to improve from the lung injury caused by the COVID-19.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a form of lung failure. It is happening in patients with severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
Usually, patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome Arnold are able to breathe on their own, and they require ventilator support to help circulate oxygen in the body.
It has been proved that people who survive acute respiratory distress syndrome and recover from COVID-19 may have long-lasting pulmonary scarring.
Sepsis
Sepsis is another possible complication of a severe COVID-19 infection. When the infection reaches and spreads through the bloodstream, causing tissue damage wherever it goes, it is called sepsis.
If anyone gets sepsis cooperation between all the organs offered, the human body falls apart. It can lead to the organ system shut down, including lungs and heart as well.
Even if anyone survives sepsis, it can leave a patient with lasting damage to the lungs and other organs as well.
Superinfection
Last but not least is superinfection. The immune system of the human body works hard to fight the virus such as COVID-19. That time our body becomes more vulnerable to infection and other bacteria or viruses on top of the COVID 19.
It is also a possibility that more infection can result in more damage to the lungs.
Factors of long COVID lung damage
Till now, we have only learned about the complications that a person can face after long COVID lung damage.
Let’s take a look at the top three factors that can affect the lung.
Severity
First thing first, lung COVID lung damage can happen due to the severity of the symptoms after getting the infection of COVID-19.
There are three types of the severity of the coronavirus infection: no symptoms, mild symptoms, and severe symptoms.
Those who don’t develop any symptoms whatsoever related to the novel coronavirus are out of this equation.
People with mild symptoms and severe symptoms should worry about long COVID lung damage. Especially people with severe symptoms, because they have already exposed their immune system and damage to their lungs, there is a possibility that they might develop lung problems in the future.
Existing health conditions
Previous health conditions of any person along with COVID-19 infection can cause lung damage in the future. If anyone is already struggling with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or heart disease can raise the risk of severe illness.
Treatment
Treatment during the infection of coronavirus is the third factor that can be directly related to long COVID lung damage. At last, it all comes down to what kind of care the infected person has and how quickly the care reaches him.
Timely treatment of COVID-19 can lower the symptoms and severity of the infection, which can save a person from lung-covered lung damage.
Minimize long COVID lung damage
Long COVID lung damage is a very dangerous situation for any patient, especially those who are already suffering from other diseases, as you are already aware that severe COVID-19 infection can damage the lungs.
That is why doctors and experts are focusing more on minimizing long COVID lung damage. You can do whatever you like, but you have to understand that lung damage can take months to recover if it’s already damaged.
For starters, you can save yourself from getting severe symptoms and infection of novel coronavirus. As soon as you start developing symptoms of infection, you should get medical help to save yourself from long COVID lung damage.
Those who are already suffering from other medical conditions should take good care of themselves. Doctors have already made it clear that previous medical conditions especially related to the lungs and heart, can cause lung damage if you get novel coronavirus.
A study published in Tianjin University, China, Therapy using lung epithelium and progenitor cells, Shows promising results. The study further said that to minimize the damage to the lung, doctors should promote tissue regeneration efficiency by activating surviving lung stem and progenitor cells.
Other than medical help, you should also take care of your nutrition and hydration as well. Proper nutrition and hydration can also help patients avoid complications of COVID-19.
If you stay Well-fed, it will take care of your overall health and proper hydration to maintain proper blood volume and healthy mucus in the respiratory system.
These healthy mucous membranes in the respiratory system can help the lungs better resist infection and tissue damage. It has been one of the most effective therapies to minimize long COVID lung damage.
Takeaways
Long COVID lung damage becomes one of the biggest issues once people start recovering from COVID-19. Even those studies are still under process to look out for all the possible complications of COVID-19, but few studies have already indicated that COVID can affect lungs for a longer period of time.
There are a few reasons which can increase the chances of long COVID lump damage, such as previous health conditions, not having a proper diet, severity of symptoms, etc.
Even though all of these things are not in your hand, you can get medical help as soon as you start developing symptoms of novel coronavirus infection. Not receiving enough medical care as soon as possible has become one of the major reasons for long COVID lung damage.
Can I reverse the lung damage caused by the COVID-19?
Yes, the lung damage caused by COVID-19 is reversible. But remember that it is not going to happen overnight. The whole process might take three months to a year or more. It takes time for the lungs to heal from the scarring, and you cannot assume that the lungs will start working fine as soon as they are recovered.
What can I do to minimize long COVID lung damage?
There are a few things you can do to minimize long COVID lung damage. First of all, you should stay safe and try everything to not catch the infection. The second thing you can do is as soon as you get the infection. You should get medical care before the symptoms get serious. If you have already recovered and you have started saying long COVID lung damage, you should take a good diet and proper hydration.