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Among people affected by Covid-19, 80% have mild conditions. However, the other 20% need hospitalization, as they develop moderate or severe symptoms, according to experts. The information is from Brenda Marques, from R7.
The pulmonologist Patrícia Canto, from the Fiocruz National School of Public Health (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) explains that Covid-19, in its most severe form, is a systemic disease that can affect various organs.
The whitish areas (at the bottom) are compromised by pneumonia – Photo: Personal archive
“The most common condition is pneumonia, but there are reports of heart conditions and kidney failure,” he says.
“When people hospitalize the patient, it is possible to observe various consequences and even blood clotting,” adds Patrícia.
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Pneumonia is an infection that affects the lungs and can have various causes, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
In patients with Covid-19, it is a consequence of the injury caused by the new coronavirus in the lungs or the exaggerated response of the body’s immune system to the virus.
This phenomenon is called “immune storm”.
“Many substances are produced. They cause inflammation that occurs in the bronchi, lungs, and pulmonary alveoli, “explained Elie Fiss, a pulmonologist at the Alemão Oswaldo Cruz Hospital, in an interview with R7.
According to him, such substances occupy the spaces between the alveoli and the blood.
Therefore, oxygen cannot pass, and people generally have difficulty breathing.
Advanced injury, but few symptoms.
However, in their daily experiences, professionals have observed people who do not complain of shortness of breath, even with advanced conditions of pneumonia and below normal blood oxygen levels, which would be between 95% and 99%.
The acceptable minimum to maintain healthy body cells is 89%, according to the Brazilian Society of Pulmonology and Tisiology.
Patricia mentions different patient profiles: “Sometimes when you arrive at the emergency, you already have an advanced commitment, with many injuries [pulmonar], but few symptoms. Or you have various symptoms, but the image [do exame] it would not make me assume that severity, “he compares.
Fiss agrees, noting that patients with few symptoms are the ones he has seen most often. “But then I do the CT scan and I have pneumonia,” he says.
Also according to him, the individual may manifest only secondary symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, softness and cough, but there is already a small degree of lung involvement.
The body compensates for the lack of oxygen.
Patrícia explains that when there is a drop in blood oxygenation, the body compensates for this lack by increasing the respiratory rate. “Then the patient tolerates this difficulty in breathing better. But this is not conscious ”, he describes.
Lung of a healthy patient – Photo: Personal file
Fiss adds that the perception of shortness of breath is very subjective. “Sometimes the patient is sitting and does not realize it, but when he gets up and goes to the bathroom, he feels short of breath,” he exemplifies.
“If the person takes a shower and has difficulty breathing or sweeps the house and feels tired, this is a warning sign,” adds Patrícia.
The specialist advises people to seek medical attention if they have respiratory symptoms and notice that they are not improving, in addition to high fever, higher than 38.5 degrees, and persistent.
“But if you have trouble breathing, go to the doctor right away,” he emphasizes.
“People who have comorbidities [diabetes, hipertensão] They need to go if they find that the disease has worsened. If the older person begins to feel sleepy and prostrate, they should also go to the doctor, “advises Patrícia Canto.
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