What are the respiratory implications of COVID-19? By Charlene Mhangami, Vitalograph, UK Application Specialist Clinical presentation COVID-19 is mainly spread by respiratory droplets, transmission can occur from a symptomatic or asymptomatic person. In those who are
symptomatic the most common symptoms are highlighted in figure 1. About 80% of people who contract COVID-19 get mild to moderate symptoms such as dry cough or a sore throat, some may present with pneumonia, a lung condition which
affects the alveoli. Approximately 14% of people get severe symptoms and 5% end up with very severe symptoms1.
How does it end up in the respiratory system? COVID-19 can affect both the upper and lower part of the respiratory tract. The virus meets the mucous membranes that lines the nose, mouth, and eyes. The virus enters a healthy cell and uses the cell to multiply the virus and the infects nearby cells. As the cells are infected, the lining in the airways become irritated and inflamed as the immune system begins to fight back, the more severe the infection becomes the more it spreads in the respiratory tract and where the problems in the respiratory system begin to arise.
Effect on the lungs COVID-19 can cause complications in the lung such as pneumonia, this where the lungs become filled with fluid and inflamed leading to breathing difficulties. The pneumonia that COVID -19 causes affects both lungs. When someone contracts pneumonia caused by other diseases such as flu, they may recover without lasting lung damage, however the pneumonia associated with COVID-19 can be severe, even after recovery from the disease, the lung injury may take months to improve.
Figure 1 Symptoms of COVID-192
When the alveolus within the lungs gets filled with fluid it limits the gas exchange process causing symptoms such as dyspnea and cough Normally the
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