How Covid-19 leads to shortness of breath?

• Shortness of breath occurs because of the way Covid-19 affects the patient’s respiratory system.
• When a person inhales, the tiny air sacs in the lungs — alveoli — expand to capture this oxygen, which is then transferred to blood vessels and transported through the rest of the body.
• Respiratory epithelial cells line the respiratory tract.
• Their primary function is to protect the airway tract from pathogens and infections, and also facilitate gas exchange.
• And the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can infect these epithelial cells.
• To fight such infection, the body’s immune system releases cells that trigger inflammation.
• When this inflammatory immune response continues, it impedes the regular transfer of oxygen in the lungs.
• Simultaneously, fluids too build up.
• Both these factors combined make it difficult to breathe.
•  Low levels of oxygen triggered by Covid-19 are inflammatory markers, which include elevated white blood cell counts and neutrophil counts.

Does a patient always show Covid symptoms when their oxygen levels drop?

• No.
• According to the FAQs on Covid-19 from AIIMS e-ICUS, sudden deaths have been reported at presentation to the emergency department, as well as in hospital.
• AIIMS has said that the reasons that have been proposed include a sudden cardiac event, preceding “silent hypoxia” that went unnoticed, or due to a thrombotic complication such as pulmonary thromboembolism.
• In silent hypoxia, patients have extremely low blood oxygen levels, yet do not show signs of breathlessness.

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now