The team compared xenon gas scans and other lung function tests in three groups of people.
This includes people with persistent Covid and shortness of breath who were not hospitalized with infection, 12 people who were hospitalized with Covid but did not have persistent Covid, and 13 healthy people as “controls”.
All participants inhaled xenon gas during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The gas works in a very similar way to oxygen but can be visually monitored during the scan, so scientists can “see” how well it moves from the lungs into the bloodstream – an important step in the transport of oxygen throughout the body, reports. speak.
The researchers found that for the majority of people with prolonged Covid, the gas infusion was less effective than in healthy individuals.
People hospitalized for Covid also have similar abnormal symptoms.
According to study leader and pulmonologist Dr Emily Fraser, it’s frustrating when people come into the clinic and can’t explain exactly why they’re having trouble breathing.
Usually X-rays and CT scans show no abnormalities.
“This is important research and I really hope this sheds more light on that. It’s important for people to know that breathing training and rehabilitation strategies can be really helpful.” Fraser said.
“When we see people in the clinic having trouble breathing, we can make progress,” she added.
The researchers say the findings shed light on why shortness of breath is common in long Covid – although the reasons for feeling short of breath are often many and complex.
“There are now important questions to answer, such as how many patients with prolonged Covid will have abnormal scan results, the magnitude of the abnormalities we have detected, the cause of the abnormalities. and its long-term consequences,” co-investigator Professor Fergus Gleeson was quoted as saying.
“Once we understand the mechanism that leads to these symptoms, we will have a better basis for developing more effective treatments.”
Source: IANS
