Lungs of many Indians suffering from severe Covid affected: Study – Dainik Savera Times

New Delhi: Many of the Indians who have suffered from severe Covid have had their lungs affected, with almost half of them complaining of difficulty breathing. This has come to light in a recent study. This is a worrying finding for which experts attribute various reasons including pre-existing diseases of the individuals and pollution. This study conducted by Christian Medical College, Vellore is India’s largest study investigating the effect of COVID-19 on the lungs.

In this, 207 individuals were examined, due to which a significant reduction in lung function, exercise capacity and quality of life was seen in the recovered individuals. The study revealed that Indians who recovered from severe illness after an average of more than two months experienced respiratory symptoms, with 49.3% reporting shortness of breath and 27.1% reporting cough.

DJ Christopher, professor of pulmonary medicine at CMC Vellore and lead researcher of the study, said, “It is clear from the study that lung function is more affected in the Indian population compared to data from other countries, across all categories of disease severity.”

Christopher said, ‘Although it is impossible to know the exact reason for such damage in Indians, having a previous disease may be a factor in lung damage, because people in our population are more likely to have other diseases than others. The rate was high.

A recent study published in the journal ‘PLOS Global Public Health’ compared data from Europe and China. For example, a study conducted in Italy found dyspnea or shortness of breath in 43% of people and cough in less than 20%. The corresponding data from the Chinese study were also lower than those seen in the Indian study.