As the coronavirus or COVID-19 continues to devastate the world, scientists are working to find out the different effects the virus has on the human body. Now, a new study conducted by the doctors in Wuhan, China, last month found that the people who were infected with coronavirus have experienced long-term lung damages months after the diagnosis.
Wuhan, which is the capital of Hubei province, where the virus outbreak first started when it began in December 2019. Since then, the province has recorded more than 68,000 cases, which vis the highest in China.
The research conducted by Doctor Peng Zhiyong of the Zhongnan Hospital at the Wuhan University was a part of a year-long research that tracked 107 hospital patients who were suffering from viral pneumonia and required to be intubated because of coronavirus, as reported by The Times.
Recovered COVID-19 Patients Showed Symptoms of Depression
The study found that after almost three months, 90 percent of the patients who survived were left with weakening lung damage, as per the report. The tests conducted on the patients who recovered showed that they can walk an average of 500 meters in six minutes, which is slower than the speed of a healthy person.
"The results revealed that the patients' immune systems are still recovering," Peng mentioned adding that around one in 10 patients lost the antibody, which is crucial for fighting the COVID-19. Peng mentioned that many of the patients showed symptoms of depression and felt a sense of shame for contracting the disease. As per the Global Times, the patients claimed that their family members are still not comfortable to sit with them for a meal.
Less than half of them have returned to work, according to reports. Studiers have shown that the virus can lead to longterm lung damage. Different other effects of the disease have also come into the open, which include certain life-changing complications also. The deadly virus outbreak is currently spreading like wildfire and has infected more than 19.1 million people globally and claimed the lives of over 715,000 people worldwide. The US is the worst affected nation followed by Brazil and India.
