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Dry cough and shortness of breath after COVID-19: why are they dangerous and how to treat?

02.06.20220

Coronavirus, especially with lung damage, rarely passes without consequences. About how to deal with dry cough and shortness of breath, the deputy told MedPortal. chief physician of the Medgorod clinic, general practitioner, pulmonologist, Ph.D. Elena Polikanova.

Dry cough and shortness of breath after COVID-19: what are they dangerous and how to treat? /> 50780 </p> <h2>Dry cough is not as bad as it seems</h2> <p>According to Elena Polikanova, a post-COVID cough is not particularly different from a cough after another SARS, since it is a consequence of broncho-obstructive syndrome, which can also cause coronavirus. There is an available arsenal of drugs for its treatment:</p> <ul> <li> <p role=inhaled hormones;

  • drugs with anti-inflammatory action (montelukast, acetylcysteine);

  • drugs that dilate the bronchi.

    • It is very important not to leave such a cough unattended, since the consequences can be the most severe, up to the development of bronchial asthma.

    Is shortness of breath a consequence of lung damage?

    Many patients after COVID-19 are familiar with the feeling shortness of breath when it is difficult to take a deep breath. However, most often it is not at all fibrotic changes in the lungs.

    “When the pandemic first began, we were all scared of fibrosis after covid pneumonia, after which life would not be the same. The good news is it's not. Both I and my colleagues see that there are indeed fibrotic changes, but their number is insignificant and they do not affect lung function in any way.

    Polikanova Elena BorisovnaPolikanova Elena Borisovna Ic author work@2xexpert
    Ic snowflake@2xDeputy chief physician for the medical part of the Medgorod clinic, general practitioner, pulmonologist, Ph.D. .n.

    According to Polikanova, persistent bronchospasm is often the cause of shortness of breath, and this problem is easily managed with inhaled hormones and drugs that dilate the bronchi.

    However, it is not uncommon for a person to constantly suffocate, and a CT scan does not show any changes in the lungs and bronchi. In this case, it is necessary to look for a connection with neurological and cardiological disorders. For example, if shortness of breath occurs after physical exertion, this may also indicate heart problems. Thus, scientists from the University Hospital of Brussels found that all patients with post-covid dyspnea had cardiac dysfunction. >The severity of the transferred COVID-19 plays a very important role, Elena Polikanova noted. If the patient was in the hospital for a long time, it is highly likely that he developed asthenic syndrome, that is, a general weakening of the body. This shortness of breath goes away with time, when a person begins to gradually increase physical activity and enters the usual daily motor mode.