You were infected with COVID-19, but do you know how much virus you have in your body? This can lead to treatment and even death.



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While writing gazeta.pl, Researcher at Columbia University in New York, doctor of infectious diseases dr. Daniel Griffin is convinced that it would be very good to know the viremia level (the amount of virus per milliliter of blood) at the time the patient is admitted to the hospital, especially when assessing the chances that the patient’s health will deteriorate.

The level of viremia is also studied in some other communicable diseases (eg, HIV).

With regard in particular to the influence of COVID-19 and viremia levels on the course of the disease, the information is not yet complete and the data is constantly updated.

However, the researchers are fairly unanimous in confirming the link between the amount of virus in the body and the risk of developing severe COVID-19 and an increased risk of death.

In the US, guidelines have already appeared for labs to test samples for viral levels. Because many experts point out that not providing such information is like a missed opportunity to better understand how COVID-19 develops in a particular patient.

And if the patient’s condition and the possible subsequent course of the disease could be assessed through hospitalization, it would be possible to better exploit the potential of the hospital.

Experts also say that the indicator of the average level of viremia in society also shows whether the epidemic is expanding or decreasing.

The Weill Cornell Center for Medicine in New York conducted 3,000 hospitalized patient follow-ups showed that 40% of patients who had COVID-19 and died from the disease in hospital had high levels of the virus in the body.

Research from the Nevada Department of Public Health has also shown that the lower the number of viruses in the body, the easier it is to fight COVID-19.

And if that level was extremely high, the probability of dying in a person in 30 days was four times higher than in patients with less virus in the body.

However, experts caution that evaluating viremia is quite difficult because studies are not completely reliable. They depend a lot on where they are carried and what they are.

For example, samples from a throat or nose test have a greater chance of error than a blood test.

Also, the amount of virus in the human body can change during illness; a fracture can be achieved even in a few hours.

The level of the virus can rise sharply until the body’s immune system responds, then drops, but the remnants of the virus remain in the body for quite a long time and this is proven by testing, even though the person is already healthy.

Viremia also depends on whether the test is performed only when the patient is ill, in the middle of the course of the illness, or when he is already recovering.

However, experts agree that these indicators, along with other data, are important information in selecting the right treatment for a patient.



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