November 12 is World Pneumonia Day. And today we will tell you what you need to know about coronavirus pneumonia. 5 surprising facts from doctors
1. Visible in the pictures as a veil or frosted glass
Many of us have heard in connection with coronavirus pneumonia that in the picture with it on the lungs, doctors see the so-called. "frosted glass". The fact is that the areas of the lungs affected by the virus look like a translucent veil or frosted glass. This is how the name came about. In bacterial pneumonia, these areas are denser. Radiologists say about them "X-ray shadow".
2. Affects both lungs
If one lung is hit by bacterial pneumonia, then both are hit by coronavirus. This is called a bilateral polysegmental ground-glass lesion of the lung parenchyma.
3. X-ray "sees" her poorly
A conventional X-ray may simply not “see” the coronavirus “veil”. It perfectly recognizes only the "X-ray shadow". Therefore, according to indications, doctors prescribe computed tomography of the lungs. Doing a CT scan yourself is not just a safety net. This is a radiation diagnostic method that gives a significant radiation load. You can also "consider" coronavirus pneumonia using ultrasound of the lungs. Still, the most accurate method for diagnosing this condition is CT of the lungs. Where you can do this procedure for free, read here.
4. Sometimes "dumb"
Coronavirus pneumonia can be completely asymptomatic. No wheezing, shortness of breath, cough, weakness, temperature. This happens with a mild course of the disease and does not require medication, much less hospitalization.
5. Not cured with antibiotics
Antibiotics have nothing to do with viruses. They fight bacteria. Therefore, it is useless to take these drugs in the initial stages of the disease. Moreover, it may even be dangerous. Antibiotics for coronavirus pneumonia are prescribed when a bacterial complication has joined. This can be understood from the blood test results. It makes sense to do it if the temperature lasts longer than three days.
The best way to determine if a bacterial infection has joined is to get tested for procalcetonin. If its indicator is more than 0.5, this means that, most likely, the patient has bacterial pneumonia.
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