Younger patients developing Covid pneumonia early: Experts
Naina Mishra
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 16
The new strain has changed the algorithm of clinical symptoms of Covid-19 illness as it has been observed that the disease progression is much faster in younger patients with severe lung involvement and need for critical care. What is more worrisome is that there is growing incidence of Covid pneumonia among children.
Prof GD Puri, Dean (Academics) and Head, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGI, said: “A lot of younger patients need intensive care treatment and many of them are in their 20s or 30s only. The patients are deteriorating faster than before and developing severe illness. Previously, the progression of disease among patients used to time. Among children, there is an incidence of serious symptom that were not observed last time.”
“The deterioration was slow last time as the oxygen saturation used to dip at a slower pace. This time, the oxygen saturation dips faster as soon as it dips below 95 if there is lung involvement. Patients should not wait if the baseline saturation falls below 94 per cent or drops after walking and immediately report to hospital,” added Dr Puri.
Dr Zafar Ahmed, Senior Consultant, Critical Care, Pulmonology and Chest & Sleep Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, said: “The second wave has more and more patients presenting with aggressive symptoms including fever of one-three days’ duration followed by rapidly worsening breathlessness and oxygen desaturation. More extra pulmonary involvements are seen, including cardiac, neurological and gastrointestinal systems. Younger children are also getting infected. Treatment options remain the same, though aggressive approach is required to control rapid worsening.”
Dr Ahmed added: “In our practice, most of the cases we have suspected have been detected by RT PCR, though reports from colleagues do suggest false negatives getting higher. It will require a virologist to comment whether this strain is dodging RT PCR.”
Dr Deepak Bhasin, Director Pulmonology, Critical Care at Max Healthcare, said: “Covid-19 illness used to give a time of seven days, and condition of patients used to deteriorate after 7th day. This time, a lot of younger patients are deteriorating faster in just 4-5 days. In first or second CT scan itself, lung involvement is diagnosed in patients. Patients are presenting directly with Covid pneumonia, breathlessness, chest tightness and abdominal symptoms like diarrhoea. The cough is coming late in these patients and high grade fever is there. This strain is highly contagious as all family members are getting infected, including children.”
