By Chioma Obinna
Medical experts have warned that recovered COVID-19 patients may still have to undergo certain checks in the hospital to ensure that they have not suffered any permanent damage to their lungs.
In a report by the BBC, the doctors disclosed that such patients could be left with lung scarring known as pulmonary fibrosis.
Common symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis — which cannot be cured — include severe shortness of breath, coughing, and fatigue.
According to the report, an X-ray conducted on a patient’s lungs six weeks after he left the hospital revealed thin white lines known as reticular shadowing, which could indicate the early signs of scarring or pulmonary fibrosis.
The patient is billed to undergo another scan after 12 weeks to ascertain if the suspected scarring on his lungs has worsened.
An executive committee member of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging (BSTI), Sam Hare said the development was something to worry about.
Hare, who is also an advisor to the Royal College of Radiologists, however, added that there is no ample evidence yet to ascertain the extent and rate of lung damage caused by COVID-19
“With all these cases, we can’t say for certain at the moment,” he said.
“But usually with a virus or infection at six weeks, you would expect the scan to have returned to normal. It hasn’t and that’s the worry.”
A study conducted in China and published in March revealed 66 of 70 patients still had some level of lung damage after being discharged from hospital, BBC reports.