Covid-19 induced Pneumonia can cause more damage than typical one

Pneumonia that is induced by the novel Coronavirus infection is different from the bacteria that causes pneumonia in general and can cause more damage, indicates a study done by the researchers at Northwestern University Medicine. The study published in the journal Nature highlighted that usually pneumonia that is caused by bacteria or viruses like influenza can be controlled with antibiotics along with the body’s immune system, that too in the first few days of the illness. However, in patients where pneumonia is caused by the Covid-19, lungs are not rapidly infected in large regions.

The study said SARS-CoV-2 will infect in multiple small areas of the lung and has the capability to hijack the lungs’ own immune cells. Then it uses these cells to spread further across the lung over a period of days or weeks in some cases. This can cause more damage. Researchers at Northwestern University explained this spread as having “multiple wildfires spreading across a forest.” Since this infection is moving slowly, it is expected to leave more damage and cause fever, low blood pressure along with kidney, brain and heart damage in a continuous manner. Therefore, complications in this kind of pneumonia can lead to more severe complications.

In the study, scientists analysed immune cells taken from the lungs of patients suffering Covid-19 pneumonia in a systematic manner and then compared it to cells taken from patients having a typical pneumonia caused by other viruses or bacteria. Then they studied the spread pattern and damage caused.

While the damage is more, researchers found that the mortality among patients who are placed on a ventilator for Covid-19 is lower than patients needing ventilator due to regular pneumonia. According to the study, there is an intense conflagration in the lungs of patients suffering from a normal pneumonia and therefore, they have a higher risk of death. In patients having Covid-19 pneumonia, the duration of infection is longer.