Lung doctors call “happy hypoxia” occurs in symptomatic patients with Covid-19

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Erlina Burhan, a lung specialist at Friendship Center General Hospital (RSUP), said that happy hypoxia cannot occur in people who do not show symptoms of Covid-19.

Happy hypoxia can only be experienced by people infected with Covid-19 by showing symptoms of fever, cough, and dizziness.

“Happy hypoxia cannot happen to people without symptoms. Then there are other symptoms, there is fever, cough, dizziness,” Erlina said in a virtual discussion held on Friday (4/9/2020).

Also read: Happy Hypoxia doctor’s explanation: Covid-19 patients have no shortness of breath despite lack of oxygen

Erlina explained that happy hypoxia is a condition when a person experiences a lack of oxygen.

However, those who suffer from it do not feel short of breath like people who experience oxygen starvation in general.

“The patient is not claustrophobic, he does not seem claustrophobic, so he says just happy, watching TV, still zooming in, but actually hypoxia or lack of oxygen has occurred,” he said.

According to Erlina, if someone is deprived of oxygen, the brain will naturally order the body to take in as much oxygen as possible to breathe faster.

Also read: People with Covid-19 with happy hypoxia do not see symptoms, but their lungs are damaged

This can be seen in people who have finished exercising or doing strenuous activities. They tend to gasp for breath.

However, this will not happen to Covid-19 sufferers experiencing happy hypoxia.

A widespread viral infection blocks the body’s “signal” to alert the brain to a lack of oxygen. Therefore, people with happy hypoxia seem to be able to breathe normally.

“In this Covid virus infection, the signal is blocked by inflammation, so there is no signal to the brain,” Erlina said.

“So if you check the blood, the oxygen level is low but it’s not congested yet, it doesn’t seem to wheeze,” he said.

Erlina said that happy hypoxia is dangerous because in the near future it will cause a decrease in the victim’s consciousness.

Also read: What is happy hypoxia, death without symptoms of Corona patient?

For this reason, he encouraged people with fever, cough and dizziness to go immediately to a health center.

The doctor will monitor the symptomatic patient by examining the chest x-ray and oxygen saturation to find out whether the patient experiences oxygen starvation or not.

“If you have symptoms, immediately contact the nearest health center. Especially if the symptoms get worse,” Erlina said.