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Three years after Covid: this is what the lungs of those who suffered serious infections look like

2023-06-01T21:12:03.665Z

Highlights: Three Americans who were hospitalized and needed respiratory assistance. They improved, but according to doctors there are sequelae that are difficult to overcome. Tom Kennedy, 58, had Covid in November 2020. He spent 80 days hospitalized and still suffers from the aftermath. Marlene Rodriguez, 32, was 34 weeks pregnant when she contracted coronavirus in December 2020. Now, two and a half years after her infection, she is out of breath when holding her daughter or doing strenuous tasks like climbing stairs.


They are stories of three Americans who were hospitalized and needed respiratory assistance. They improved, but according to doctors there are sequelae that are difficult to overcome.


Although more than three years have passed since the coronavirus pandemic, it was shown that there is lasting lung damage among some patients who became seriously ill and had to be hospitalized at the time for respiratory problems.

To test the long-term impact of the covid attack on the lungs, The New York Timestold the stories of three people who were hospitalized during the first wave of the coronavirus.

These patients were not yet vaccinated: for two, vaccines were not available and the third was about to be vaccinated, but became infected before they could do so.

The American newspaper spoke with the doctors who treated them and, in addition, accessed the information of the CT scans of the
lungs of these three people over time.

Three stories

The cases are different, and while all three patients managed to regain lung function to varying degrees, their experiences reflect how unpredictable the impact of the coronavirus can be.

The first story is the one that has as its protagonist Andy Muñoz, a 35-year-old man from Texas. According to the doctor who treated him, Howard Huang, he was very healthy before he was infected. He also intended to get vaccinated, but it did not arrive.

He contracted coronavirus in July 2021 and was transferred within days to Houston Methodist Hospital. He was connected to an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation System) machine for 6 months, which allows respiratory function and blood cleaning, while the lungs can remain less active.

After the onset of infection, in the sixth week, the CT scan was performed which showed that the patient's lungs appeared shrunken and deformed.

In addition to that, he had scar tissue that contracted in some areas and a fluid that inflamed other areas. The scan showed what doctors called a "whitening" of his lungs.

"These lungs are not able to keep him alive. You look at that and wonder: is this ever going to get better?" were Huang's words when analyzing those results.

After two months, studies showed that Muñoz's lungs appeared closer to normal size. Despite that, there was still a large cavity where lung tissue had essentially been destroyed.

On the other hand, the lung surface remained irregular and there was an abnormal widening of some airways: bronchiectasis.

After 16 months of infection, Muñoz's lungs showed obvious improvement, but were not fully recovered.

Aftermath


Nearly two years after her infection, she can't work and needs oxygen at home 24 hours a day. You have developed pulmonary hypertension, a serious condition of high blood pressure in the blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs.


Tom Kennedy, 58, had Covid in November 2020. He spent 80 days hospitalized and still suffers from the aftermath.

Tom Kennedy, 58, was overweight, diabetic and had suffered a heart attack six weeks before the infection.

He was hospitalized for 80 days for a covid he contracted in November 2020. He was in intensive care for about a month, and on a ventilator for about a fortnight.

Ten days after the infection, Kennedy was hospitalized and scanned. There they noticed the presence of inflamed tissue or fluid inside their lungs.

Two years later, he works from home because he is continuously tied to a bulky oxygen machine with a tube. In addition, he moves with a portable tank and can play golf.

Pregnancy and contagion

The case of Marlene Rodriguez, 32, bore a close resemblance to Muñoz's. She was 34 weeks pregnant when she contracted coronavirus in December 2020.

After being admitted to the UCLA Medical Center, she gave birth to her daughter, who was born in very good health. However, Marlene's condition worsened.

She also could not breathe on her own: she developed a pneumothorax. She needed to be connected to an ECMO machine for two months. It was necessary to drain the air to prevent lung collapse.

The patient required supplemental oxygen for 14 months. Now, two and a half years after her infection, Rodriguez is able to perform most daily activities, but she is out of breath and pants when holding her daughter or doing chores. She uses an albuterol inhaler for strenuous tasks like climbing stairs.


Interestingly, despite differences between patients, the effects vary depending on people's health status before infection and how their immune systems responded to the virus.

All three patients were included as candidates for lung transplantation. Now, doctors say Tom Kennedy and Marlene Rodriguez probably won't need them, but Andy Munoz might require one eventually.

Still, Dr. Huang cautioned, patients have progressed better than doctors would have anticipated: "We're seeing examples where people get better, even though they started with a terrible-looking CT scan."

However, it is a reality that a complete recovery of the lungs is almost impossible.

SC

See also

China Releases Data Showing Raccoon Dog DNA in Wuhan Market

Dengue: key discovery of an Argentine research team

Source: clarin

All life articles on 2023-06-01

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