Indians Suffer Long-Term Lung Damage Due to SARS CoV2 : Reveals Study 

A study published by the Christian Medical College, Vellore, showed that a significant proportion of Indians who recovered from Covid had reduced lung function and symptoms persisted for months. Indians have been found to have more impaired lung function than Europeans and Chinese. While some people can gradually return to normal within a year, others may have to live with lung damage for the rest of their lives, the study said.

Said to be the largest study in the country to examine the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on lung function, the study examined 207 individuals. The study, conducted during the first wave of the coronavirus, was recently published in the journal PLOS Global Public Health.

More than two months after recovery, complete lung function tests, six-minute walk tests, blood tests and quality of life assessments were performed for these patients with mild, moderate and severe Covid.

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A more sensitive lung function test, i.e. gas transfer, which measures the ability to transfer oxygen from inhaled air to the bloodstream, was affected by 44%, which CMC doctors called “very alarming”.

According to a senior doctor, a subset of Covid patients who experience moderate to severe infection require hospitalization around 8-10 days after contracting the lung infection. Oxygen support and steroid treatment were continued as fibrosis developed. In about 95% of these patients, lung damage gradually heals, with 4-5% having long-term permanent impairment.