After recovering from coronavirus, patients are at risk of getting pneumonia again. What to look for, what tests and when do you need to pass? Doctor answers
The coronavirus never ceases to surprise us. If earlier these were new strains, now I am leading all kinds of complications during the course of the disease. Not so long ago, we wrote that in children, covid can cause a deadly multisymptomatic syndrome, and in adults - the same critical for life cytokine storm. As here is the new risk that arises after a seemingly successful recovery from the coronavirus. This is recurrent pneumonia, which can develop 7-10 days after discharge from the hospital. How to suspect her, the doctor told in his video blog Taras Zhiravetsky.
The mechanism of recurrent pneumonia is not fully understood. Most likely, it can be caused by the fact that a person's immunity after an illness is very weakened, and therefore bacteria and viruses get practically unlimited access to the lungs. However, the fact remains: according to Taras Zhiravetsky, today more and more cases of new pneumonia are recorded after covid pneumonia. As a rule, this happens 7-10 days after recovery or discharge from the hospital, the expert says. What do you need to know and control first?
“First of all, control the temperature,” advises Taras Zhiravetsky. - If it rises in you, be sure to do an analysis for c-reactive protein (CRP) and check this indicator. If your CRP level has risen above 5 units, this is the basis for consulting a doctor. Also note that you may not have a fever, but sweating, fatigue, and shortness of breath may bother you. In this case, it is also worth taking an analysis for CRP and, in parallel, a general blood test, but not earlier than 7-10 days after recovery. In a general blood test, an increase in leukocytes and an increase in the number of neutrophils can be recorded - this is a sign of a possible repeated inflammation of the lungs.
What to do in this case? First of all, no self-medication, the expert warns. Be sure to see a doctor and, if necessary, undergo a lung examination. However, teach: CT (computed tomography of the lungs) should be done only as directed by a doctor, because it gives on the body increased radiation load. If you want to be examined "for safety reasons," it is better to sign up for an ultrasound scan. If re-pneumonia is diagnosed, a new course of antibiotic therapy may be needed. “Even if you have already undergone such therapy in a hospital, this is a re-inflammation, so it is important not to miss the problem,” warns Taras Zhiravetskiy.
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