COVID-19 infection: Lung damage less likely in youngsters, says study
Of all the things that we know about the dreaded COVID-19, it is clear that the virus affects the respiratory system, which can lead to other serious illnesses in severe cases. Complete recovery can take up to months and can even prove fatal in some cases. While the researchers are still contemplating if there will be the third wave, a new study has some good news for youngsters.
New research has found that the possibility of lung damage due to novel coronavirus infection among youth is very less. It has been found that the lungs of youngsters who contracted coronavirus function the same way as they did before the infection.
The research paper was presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. As per the paper, if coronavirus happens in young people, it won't affect the functioning of their lungs in the long run. The study also added that even for people who had asthma, coronavirus did not impact their lung capacity after COVID infection. These people faced breathing issues but their lung ability was not affected.
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The analysis
The study conducted in Stockholm included young people with an average age of 22. It included people who were born between 1994 and 1996. Before COVID hit, between 2016 and 2019, many types of tests were conducted on these people.
These people contracted coronavirus infections between October 2020 and May 2021. After the infection and recovery, lung function tests were conducted along with eosinophils and inflammation tests. Among the 661 infected youngsters, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were formed in the blood of 178. The tests and the study results have proven that the working ability of the lungs, after recovering from corona, was the same in youngsters.
Children and teenagers
Another study claimed that COVID-19 infection does not impact the working ability of lungs in children and teenagers. But a contrary report found that children and teenagers who had severe coronavirus infection had compromised lung health.
The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of COVID on the lungs of youngsters since it was observed that children were recovering too fast after the infection as compared to the general population.