Corona virus : Lung damage after recovery and re-occurrence

Wuhan: 90 percent of those who recovered from the corona had lung damage and 5 percent had recurrence

In Wuhan, China, 90 percent of people who have recovered from a corona infection have reported that their lungs have not yet healed. It is said that coronavirus had cause lung damage. Five percent of the infected have been quarantined after the test results were found to be positive again.

According to the Global Times, a team of Peng Jiong, director of Zhongnan Hospital under Wuhan University, which is researching the health of those who have recovered from the infection, conducted a sample study.

They began researching some people who had recovered from the infection last April. According to the report, 90 percent of the people’s lungs have not yet healed, while 5 percent of the people have re-infection. Patients who have recovered have to rely on oxygen machines even three months after being discharged from the hospital.

According to the report, Director Peng’s team studied 100 corona healers.

The first phase of the study was completed in July and the average age of infected people was 59 years.

The fact that 90 percent of the lungs are damaged means that the holes in their lungs are still unable to function normally during respiration. Global Times also reported that their lungs ventilation and gas exchange functions have not recovered to the level of healthy people.

A six-minute walking test was conducted on the patients. Peng’s team found that the recovered patients could walk 400 meters in six minutes while their healthy peers could walk 500 meters in the same given period.

Doctor Liang’s report and findings on coronavirus lung damage

Similarly, some of the recovered patients still had to rely on oxygen machines .even it has been three months after they were discharged from the hospital. This report was said by Liang Tengxiao who is a doctor from the Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Doctor Liang’s team is also conducting follow-up visits with recovered patients who are aged above 65.

They found that antibodies against the novel coronavirus in 10 percent of the 100 patients have disappeared.

The report said that although the Five percent of them received negative results in Covid-19 nucleic acid tests they had positive results in Immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests. So, they have to be quarantined again.

IgM and B cells

IgM is usually the first antibody that is produced by the immune system of our body when a virus attacks our body.  A positive result in an IgM test usually means that a person has just been infected by the virus.

But it is still unclear if this means these people have been infected again or not.

The 100 patients’ immune systems have not been fully recovered as they showed a low level of B cells which are important cells for killing viruses in the human body. But a high level of T cells which helps to only recognize viral antigens outside infected cells.

Peng said that the results revealed that the patients’ immune systems are still recovering

Depression and stigma

The patients also suffered from depression and a sense of stigma. Most of the recovered patients told that their families were not willing to have dinner with them at the same table

Similarly, Less than half of the recovered patients have returned to work. The findings are significant as the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan city.

New cases and recoveries

Till now the Hubei province has reported a total of 68,138 confirmed Covid-19 cases. According to the official data the disease has claimed the lives of a claimed 4,512 living in the province.

27 new cases were reported in China on Tuesday. It included 22 locally transmitted cases which were stated on Wednesday by the National Health Commission (NHC).

In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region all the locally transmitted cases were reported which was also said by NHC.

Five new imported cases were reported on Tuesday. Two cases were reported from shanghai and one each in Beijing, Sichuan, and Shaanxi, the commission said.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases had reached 84,49 on Tuesday.  While 810 patients were still being treated and 36 were in severe condition.

The NHC said that 79,047 people had been discharged from the hospital after recovery. While 4,634 had died due to this disease in the mainland.