COVID-19 and pneumonia: the doctors at the Santara Clinic explain what we need to know | Lifetime

The head of the Center for Pneumology and Allergology of Clinicas Santara prof. Edward danila and Head of the Department of Admission-Emergencies of the Center for Infectious Diseases Linas Svetikas.

Doctors explained what pneumonia is and how it is treated. They also answered questions about why some COVID-19 patients who are also diagnosed with pneumonia are discharged for treatment at home, determining which COVID-19 patients need hospital treatment and how to care for a loved one with pneumonia. In the home.

“Pneumonia is an acute infectious lung disease in which an infectious agent is inhaled into the lungs; it can be both a virus and a bacterium. The alveoli are filled with inflammatory cells and, depending on whether the inflammation affects the lungs greatly or a small measure, it can cause respiratory failure and damage to other organs and their systems. “Danila said. The professor adds that the treatment of pneumonia depends on the severity of the disease, other comorbidities that the patient may have.

Inflammation of the lungs is usually treated with antibiotics, in other cases medications that stabilize blood pressure are also needed, and drips are also needed due to loss of fluids, oxygen, and even artificial lung ventilation. Depending on the course and complications of the disease, other additional measures may be required.

Pneumonia: is it always treated in the hospital?

According to L. Svetikas, Head of the Department of Admission-Emergencies at the Center for Infectious Diseases, the coronavirus does not always end in pneumonia. COVID-19 cases can often be asymptomatic or with characteristic symptoms without pneumonia:

“It is true that these patients who enter the hospital are typical of the first wave of coronavirus, and currently the patients who come to us tend to have COVID-19 from moderate to severe and are assigned one or another intensity of lung damage.”

When asked whether a patient with pneumonia should always be admitted to the hospital, L. Svetikas said this is done when hospital treatment makes sense. In other words, if the condition is mild, treatment can be given at home and hospitalization is required when the patient is in a severe condition and needs hospital care.

Professor Danila added that hospitalization is recommended for those patients with pneumonia who also have other chronic organic diseases.

“Another medical indication is age. What was noticed? Older people are not more likely to have pneumonia, but are more likely to die from it. That limit is 65 years, when the risk of dying from pneumonia is much older.

Due to the hospitalization, I would also highlight the social indications, when a person, even in a milder form, will not be able to take proper care of himself, to eat, which is very important in this disease ”, says E. Danila.

He added that hospital discharge also has certain criteria. A person can be discharged from the hospital while still suffering from pneumonia, but the chances that they will die are very slim. Pneumonia does not become chronic, although for some time, up to half a year or even a year, residual effects may be felt.

Exercise requires more oxygen, but after pneumonia, parts of the lungs still don’t work as they should, so there’s no rush to get back to normal exercise; it all comes back in time.

The longer a person stays in the hospital, the greater the risk of contracting pathogens in the hospital, and therefore the risk of death increases considerably.

As Professor Danila said, certain stability criteria (blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, fever, state of consciousness, etc.) have been calculated when a person can be safely released home. The longer a person stays in the hospital, the greater the risk of contracting pathogens in the hospital, and therefore the risk of death increases considerably.

He also advised you to monitor your condition after illness and if you feel weak and unwell after having pneumonia you should see a doctor.

What you need to know about shortness of breath and pneumonia

As L. Svetikas said, people with severe mutual pneumonia do not always complain of shortness of breath. “It also happens that people who complain of shortness of breath may not have signs of pneumonia. Now, during the coronavirus, it is even more difficult to hear the lungs for safety reasons, that is, the clothes we have to wear.

However, auscultation is not the only way to detect the disease, because we always perform chest x-rays and, in some cases, computed tomography of patients, ”said the doctor.

Professor Danila added that shortness of breath may be due not only to a lack of oxygen, but also to an increase in blood pressure, less hemoglobin in the blood, a person experiences anxiety, tension and stress, so a general examination and an evaluation of the condition helps determine the best way to help the patient.

“Now we are faced with a completely different strain of coronavirus and the human immune system is not prepared to fight, so the scale of the pandemic is enormous. Many respiratory viruses, such as the coronavirus, can damage the respiratory system in various ways, from asymptomatic forms to severe pneumonia (respiratory distress syndrome).

Such injuries are caused by COVID-19, but not only by it, but also by other diseases. What happens when a new virus enters the human body? It destroys all the defensive mechanisms of the respiratory system and other organs and allows bacteria that can spread rapidly to enter the airways and can cause secondary pneumonia ”, says the professor.

Treatment of pneumonia at home: what to know.

According to Dr. L. Svetikas, each patient who is discharged home for treatment is informed about when to see a doctor, what is the possible course of the disease in the near future:

“It should be understood that persistent fever is not necessarily a worsening of the course of the disease. The key is the subjective feeling of shortness of breath, so if a person begins to feel short of breath, shortness of breath during fever, an ambulance should be called and a reassessment of the condition should be done. “

Another thing, if the condition sets for days does not change, the patient feels worse, you should also visit the doctor live and evaluate the tests. This helps to decide if the patient needs specific help.

The doctor added that nurses at home must follow all safety rules for their relatives, act responsibly, reduce the number of contacts: “I want to emphasize the importance of nutrition. They will not recover from hunger, so the patient must first get a proper and adequate diet, enough fluids and, if prescribed medications, take them correctly and on time. “

Danila said that the extent to which a person can return to their normal life must also be evaluated. If an older person feels weak, care must be taken not to fall and thus suffer additional and complex health problems. “You must follow the criterion of reasonableness and not exaggerate”, advised the specialist.

Doctors: ‘Please take care’

At the end of the conversation, E.Danila and L. Svetikas spoke about the fact that no other disease has disappeared anywhere, but due to the scale of the pandemic, there may not be enough resources to help everyone, so They ask people to be responsible. He also added that we trust doctors, their prescribed treatments and drugs to fight the coronavirus, and stressed that now it is necessary to avoid contact, not go where it is not necessary, not visit parents and grandparents during the next vacation.

“Let’s put up with being home because what is happening now reminds us of a tragedy. Admissions departments are bogged down and doctors aren’t clones, they won’t be anymore. If the masses continue to spread throughout the city, the future is very bleak for us, ”said L. Svetikas.