NEW DELHI: The new variant of the coronavirus that is causing the current wave of Covid-19 is not only highly infectious but also stealthy.
City hospitals say there are cases where a patient presents with typical symptoms of the disease, but gives negative evidence of viral infection, sometimes two or three times even by RT-PCR, considered the standard of care. origin of Covid tests.
“We have received many such patients in recent days. They had fever, cough, shortness of breath, and computed tomography of the lungs showed lighter or gray spots. It is known as uneven ground glass opacity in medical terms. The condition is one of the defining characteristics of Covid-19, ”said Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Healthcare.
He added that some of the patients underwent a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a diagnostic method in which a flexible reach is transmitted through the mouth or nose to the lungs with a measured amount of fluid introduced and then collected for examination, which confirmed the diagnosis.
“All those people who tested negative using conventional Covid-19 testing methods, but had symptoms of disease, tested positive on the wash test,” Dr. Chaudhry said.
What could this cause? Dr. Pratibha Kale, an associate professor of clinical microbiology at the Institute of Liver and Bile Sciences, said: “In these patients, the virus may not colonize the nasal cavity or throat due to swab samples. extracted from these areas. give a positive result. “The virus, he added, bound to the ACE receptors (a protein found on the surface of many cell types) in the lungs and” therefore, when fluid samples were analyzed of the organ, the diagnosis of Covid-19 “was confirmed.
Dr Vivek Nangia, head of Max Healthcare’s pulmonology division, said almost 15-20% of patients with Covid-19 had this problem. “They are very symptomatic of the disease, but they are negative. This is a serious problem, as these patients can continue to spread the infection if they are admitted to non-coveted areas. In addition, it may delay treatment, “he added.
The pulmonologist said symptoms in patients with Covid also varied significantly in the current wave compared to previous outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2. “A significant mutation in the virus cannot be ruled out. It is the most plausible explanation for the changes that are being witnessed, ”he said.
Dr Arup Basu, a senior consultant in the chest medicine department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that this time symptoms of runny nose, cold and conjunctivitis were also being observed in Covid-19 patients, who were not previously present. . “Many patients have no cough or shortness of breath and the result of computed tomography of the lungs is also normal. However, they have a persistently high fever for eight to nine days that requires hospitalization,” he said.
City hospitals say there are cases where a patient presents with typical symptoms of the disease, but gives negative evidence of viral infection, sometimes two or three times even by RT-PCR, considered the standard of care. origin of Covid tests.
“We have received many such patients in recent days. They had fever, cough, shortness of breath, and computed tomography of the lungs showed lighter or gray spots. It is known as uneven ground glass opacity in medical terms. The condition is one of the defining characteristics of Covid-19, ”said Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Healthcare.
He added that some of the patients underwent a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a diagnostic method in which a flexible reach is transmitted through the mouth or nose to the lungs with a measured amount of fluid introduced and then collected for examination, which confirmed the diagnosis.
“All those people who tested negative using conventional Covid-19 testing methods, but had symptoms of disease, tested positive on the wash test,” Dr. Chaudhry said.
What could this cause? Dr. Pratibha Kale, an associate professor of clinical microbiology at the Institute of Liver and Bile Sciences, said: “In these patients, the virus may not colonize the nasal cavity or throat due to swab samples. extracted from these areas. give a positive result. “The virus, he added, bound to the ACE receptors (a protein found on the surface of many cell types) in the lungs and” therefore, when fluid samples were analyzed of the organ, the diagnosis of Covid-19 “was confirmed.
Dr Vivek Nangia, head of Max Healthcare’s pulmonology division, said almost 15-20% of patients with Covid-19 had this problem. “They are very symptomatic of the disease, but they are negative. This is a serious problem, as these patients can continue to spread the infection if they are admitted to non-coveted areas. In addition, it may delay treatment, “he added.
The pulmonologist said symptoms in patients with Covid also varied significantly in the current wave compared to previous outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2. “A significant mutation in the virus cannot be ruled out. It is the most plausible explanation for the changes that are being witnessed, ”he said.
Dr Arup Basu, a senior consultant in the chest medicine department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that this time symptoms of runny nose, cold and conjunctivitis were also being observed in Covid-19 patients, who were not previously present. . “Many patients have no cough or shortness of breath and the result of computed tomography of the lungs is also normal. However, they have a persistently high fever for eight to nine days that requires hospitalization,” he said.