Three reasons why COVID-19 can cause silent hypoxia.

[2greys]

More than six months since COVID-19 began spreading in the United States, scientists are still solving the many puzzling aspects of how the novel coronavirus attacks the lungs and other parts of the body. One of the biggest and most life-threatening mysteries is how the virus causes “silent hypoxia,” a condition when oxygen levels in the body are abnormally low, which can irreparably damage vital organs if gone undetected for too long. Now, thanks to computer models and comparisons with real patient data, Boston University biomedical engineers and collaborators from the University of Vermont have begun to crack the mystery.

Despite experiencing dangerously low levels of oxygen, many people infected with severe cases of COVID-19 sometimes show no symptoms of shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Hypoxia’s ability to quietly inflict damage is why it’s been coined “silent.” In coronavirus patients, it’s thought that the infection first damages the lungs, rendering parts of them incapable of functioning properly. Those tissues lose oxygen and stop working, no longer infusing the blood stream with oxygen, causing silent hypoxia. But exactly how that domino effect occurs has not been clear until now.

bu.edu/articles/2020/3-reas...

Nature Communications. Research Paper:

nature.com/articles/s41467-...

[SquirrelsHolt]

Hi 2Greys and this research is really worth a read. I've not linked the link yet but will do, so once again thank you for all your links that keep us educated with this COVID-19 and all Lung issues etc. 🐿🌈

[Patk1 in reply to SquirrelsHolt]

Ditto x

[Badbessie]

When I first told my brother a paramedic of my wife's and daughters need for a test he said watch out for silent hypoxia. To be honest it was new to me so he sent me the information they had been given. Strange how it effects the lungs but shows no symptoms.

[2greys in reply to Badbessie]

It was called 'happy hypoxia' a few months ago.

[Badbessie in reply to 2greys]

Yes. I was very slow on the update on this. I read hypoxia and did not go any deeper thinking hypoxia is hypoxia. There is so much information out there that at times you miss aspects that are very important.

[Izb1]

Thank goodness there are people out there who are looking at things like this and gaining the knowledge we need to move forward so we can live with this disease. Thank you 2g for keeping us updated x