[FETV=박제성 기자] As the number of new confirmed cases surged due to the re-spread of the COVID-19 mutant virus, the number of patients suffering from followingeffects is also increasing one following another. As of the 5th, the cumulative number of corona cases in Korea exceeded 20 million. Many patients are suffering from ‘long covid’, which suffers from various types of sequelae following being cured of COVID-19.
Long covid refers to a condition in which symptoms such as fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, and digestive and pulmonary function deterioration persist from as short as 4 weeks to as long as several months following the corona virus has been cured. In fact, according to the results of a study on the sequelae that persist following recovery from COVID-19 announced by the Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters in March of this year, various sequelae were found in 20 to 79% of all patients. In particular, if the deterioration of lung function continues or worsens during the sequelae, special attention is required as it can lead to symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis, in which the lungs harden.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease in which the lungs, which supply oxygen to the body, gradually harden and deteriorate. The tissue located between the alveoli, the most distal part of the lungs, is called the interstitium, and it is a disease in which the shape of the lungs is deformed and thickened as inflammation occurs repeatedly in this area. In severe cases, respiratory failure can be life-threatening. The prognosis is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 40% following diagnosis.
The most common symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are cough, shortness of breath, and phlegm. Cough is a normal defense function to protect once morest foreign substances or secretions that have entered our body, so it is natural for a patient infected with the coronavirus to cough. However, cough due to viral infection usually disappears within 3 weeks, but if it persists even following Corona is cured, respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath appear, or it is difficult to breathe even if you move even a little, it is good to suspect the possibility of pulmonary fibrosis. However, it is important to note that pulmonary fibrosis may be mistaken for pneumonia or chronic cough with similar symptoms, and the appropriate treatment time may be missed.
Pneumonia is a phenomenon in which inflammation occurs in the alveoli, but pulmonary fibrosis is different in that the inflammation does not return to the original tissue during the healing process and fibrosis occurs like a scar as the lungs harden. Also, the treatment methods are different. Pneumonia can be easily treated with antibiotics, but there is no effective treatment that can restore lung tissue to its original state once fibrosis has progressed.
It is best to prevent the worsening of symptoms as much as possible by using antifibrotic agents that slow the progression of fibrosis through rapid diagnosis. Since the cause and treatment method are all different from pneumonia, it is very important to proceed with a quick and accurate diagnosis.
◆ Lung fibrosis biomarker ‘KL-6’… Easy blood test to identify changes in pulmonary fibrosis = Pulmonary fibrosis is difficult to distinguish from simple pneumonia and difficult to diagnose, but early diagnosis and treatment can be obtained through auxiliary diagnostics such as blood tests.
The ‘KL-6 test’ is a blood test that can screen for lung fibrosis. KL-6 is a substance derived from type 2 alveolar epithelium, and its concentration increases when there is cell proliferation and damage. Since the amount of secretion varies according to the degree of damage, it has the advantage of being able to determine the degree of damage to the lung tissue depending on the level. According to the actual study results, it can be confirmed that high KL-6 levels appear in patients with pulmonary fibrosis confirmed by computed tomography (CT) following experiencing severe corona sequelae.
“It is known that many of the patients recovering from COVID-19 suffer from pulmonary fibrosis symptoms,” said Ahn Seon-hyeon, a specialist in laboratory medicine at the GC Medical Foundation. . He also advised, “If dry cough or shortness of breath persists for more than 4 weeks following recovering from COVID-19, it is necessary to check the lung condition through a KL-6 test and discuss it with a specialist.”
