A new COVID-19 side effect is baffling medical experts. According to The Guardian's latest report, a new study has revealed that COVID-19 patients who appear to be not in distress have dangerously low oxygen levels. This may not only cause the patient to become unconscious but could also lead to death, which makes it a prime concern for doctors.
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The phenomenon called "Happy Hypoxia" is currently raising concerns about how the novel coronavirus attacks a person's lungs and is pushing medical experts to determine whether there could be more effective ways of treating patients with COVID-19.
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'Happy Hypoxia' seen in COVID-19 patients causes unusual 50% oxygen drop; Could lead to death, experts say
According to The Guardian, a healthy individual is expected to have an oxygen saturation of at least 90%. However, 70- to 80-year-old patients who were brought to the A&E were reported by doctors to have dangerously low oxygen levels; some are drastic cases of having below 50% oxygen level.
"It's intriguing to see so many people coming in, quite how hypoxic they are," said Dr. Jonathan Bannard-Smith, a consultant in critical care and anesthesia at Manchester Royal Infirmary, in the report.
"We're seeing oxygen saturations that are very low and they're unaware of that. We wouldn't usually see this phenomenon in influenza or community-acquired pneumonia. It's very much more profound and an example of very abnormal physiology going on before our eyes," he further explained.
Dr. Mike Charlesworth, an anesthetist at Wythenshawe Hospital located in Manchester said that patients who have severe hypoxia should appear extremely ill. However, Dr. Mike questioned if this new effect of the coronavirus causes critical organ damage that medical experts cannot detect.
According to the report, the brain, heart, and other vital organs are placed at risk whenever the oxygen supply in the body falls and the effect is cumulative: an oxygen saturation level of 75% would make a patient lose consciousness.
However, it was clarified that the sudden drop in oxygen levels is not the main cause of breathlessness. The lungs of some COVID-19 patients cannot detect the rising level of carbon dioxide, making the organs unable to effectively respond to clear the lungs' airways.
"I don't think any of us expect that what we're seeing can be explained by one process," said Bannard Smith in the report.
The report confirmed that there is evidence showing the COVID-19 can cause blood clotting resulting in swelling and inflammation of the lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to enter the bloodstream.
The lung vessels, which collect the oxygen and delivering it into the wider bloodstream, are so tiny that even the smallest blood clot can cause blockage, resulting in a drastic oxygen drop, which could lead to death.
