Indians Experience Increased Post-COVID Lung Damage

Growing Concern: Indians Experience Increased Post-COVID Lung Damage

People in India who have beaten Covid face more problems with their lungs than those in Europe and China, says a new study. Some people might continue to have symptoms for as long as a year, and others may have to live with damaged lungs for their entire lives.

The Christian Medical College in Vellore conducted a study on how COVID-19 affects the lungs and quality of life in Indians. The findings were published in the PLOS Global Public Health journal.

The research looked at 207 Indians for about 63 days from when they first showed symptoms, which was in the early days of the pandemic.

The study mentioned that our group of Indian participants had more existing health conditions and experienced more problems with lung function compared to patients in Europe and China. This is considered the first report of its kind for Indians.

The study found that 44% of participants showed issues with a crucial lung function test called gas transfer (DLCO). This test measures the ability to move oxygen from the breathed air to the bloodstream. Doctors at CMC described this as "very worrying." Additionally, 35% had a restrictive lung defect, affecting the lung's ability to expand with air during breathing, and 8.3% had an obstructive lung defect, impacting the ease of airflow in and out of the lungs. Quality of life tests also showed a negative impact.

Dr. D J Christopher, the lead researcher of the study from CMC, Vellore, mentioned that Indian patients did not do as well in every aspect. Moreover, more Indian participants had other health issues like diabetes and hypertension compared to those from China and Europe.

Dr. Salil Bendre, the head of pulmonology at Nanavati Hospital, explained that some COVID patients who had a moderate to severe infection, needed hospitalization around 8-10 days after symptoms started, and received oxygen support and steroid treatment, later developed lung fibrosis after recovering from the infection. He mentioned that around 95% of these patients slowly recover from lung damage, but 4-5% may have lasting issues in the long term.

A study carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 2023 found that around 6.5% of people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 passed away within the next year. This death rate was found to be similar to the data seen worldwide.

The research looked at information from 14,419 patients in 31 hospitals, covering individuals admitted since September 2020. The infections in these cases were believed to be caused by different versions of the coronavirus, including the original strain, delta, or omicron.

Additionally, the research concentrated on what happened to patients with moderate to severe disease. It found that 17.1% of participants dealt with post-COVID-19 conditions, which included feelings of tiredness, difficulty breathing, and cognitive issues like brain fog and trouble concentrating.

Significantly, people who faced these post-COVID-19 conditions were almost three times as likely to die from the disease.

Dr. Suranjit Chaterjee, a senior consultant of internal medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, not involved in the study, mentioned, "Based on the current information, long Covid can occur even in individuals who had mild episodes of Covid-19. The symptoms get better with treatment and medications.