RE: Be in no doubt... of need for polx solution24 Jun 2020 16:40
"Coronavirus: Warning thousands could be left with lung damage
By Jim Reed and Sophie Hutchinson
BBC News
23 June 2020
Tens of thousands of people will need to be recalled to hospital after a serious Covid-19 infection to check if they have been left with permanent lung damage, doctors have told the BBC.
Experts are concerned a significant proportion could be left with lung scarring, known as pulmonary fibrosis.
The condition is irreversible and symptoms can include severe shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue.
NHS England said it was opening specialist rehabilitation centres. ...
"With all these cases, we can't say for certain at the moment," said Dr Sam Hare, an executive committee member of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging and advisor to the Royal College of Radiologists.
"But usually with a virus or infection at six weeks, you would expect the scan to have returned to normal. It hasn't and that's the worry."
Like other Covid-19 patients who have been discharged from hospital, Mr McHugh will need another scan at 12 weeks to see if the suspected scarring on his lungs has deteriorated.
"In the six-week scans we're seeing, so far I would say between 20% and 30% of patients who have been in hospital appear to show some early signs of lung scarring," says Dr Hare, who helped draw up NHS radiology protocols to diagnose Covid-19. ...
Lung fibrosis cannot be cured because scarring in the lung tissue is permanent. But new drugs can slow down the progression of the disease and even stop it completely if detected in time.
"We now need to understand how big the problem is and when we should intervene with treatment," said Prof Gisli Jenkins, of the National Institute for Health Research, who is running assessment clinics for those discharged from hospital with Covid-19. ..."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53065340
Sign In
Follow the stocks
