In some patients with "long-lasting Covid", researchers at the University of Oxford have identified hidden lesions in their lungs using an innovative method.
As their pilot study showed, the British scientists used an X-ray method on Covid patients and, with the help of xenon gas, were able to detect abnormalities in the lungs that are not detected by a simple X-ray. According to the BBC, their study focused on 11 patients who did not require hospital care when they first contracted covid but experienced long-term breathlessness after they became infected.
A larger, more detailed study is underway to confirm the results, the scientists were quick to point out. For the researchers, their findings shed some light on why shortness of breath is so common in those with "long covid," although the reasons for its onset and prolonged duration are often many and complex.
"The Oxygen Journey"
The scientific team from Oxford, Sheffield, Cardiff and Manchester compared the X-rays of patients who had inhaled the chemical gas "xenon" , had undergone other tests regarding the function of their lungs. The volunteers were divided into three groups: those who had long Covid and breathlessness but had not been admitted to hospital when they were infected, 12 people who had been admitted to hospital with Covid but did not have long Covid and 13 healthy people. Using the new approach, all participants inhaled xenon gas during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
This gas behaves almost like oxygen, but can be detected visually during the X-ray , so scientists could "see" how well it moved from the lungs into the bloodstream a critical step in transporting oxygen throughout the body. The researchers found that, for the majority of people with long-lasting Covid, the transport of the noble gas was less efficient than in healthy volunteers.
In addition, those who were hospitalized with Covid had experienced similar abnormalities. Lead researcher specialising in lungs, Dr Emily Fraser, said it was frustrating that people came to her clinic and doctors could not explain to them exactly why they were breathless. Often, she said, X-rays and CT scans show no abnormalities. "This is an important study and I really hope it will shed more light on it."
Source: Proto Thema
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