Pune: Ninety per cent COVID-19 deaths in the city caused due to pneumonia

Pune: Around 1,500 deaths have been reported in Pune so far due to COVID-19 but the 90 per cent of these patients have succumbed to pneumonia in the final stages, which is caused due to lung failure. So while COVID-19 is an excuse, the real cause of death is coronary pneumonia.

The city currently has an average of 20 to 30 patients dying from COVID-19 every day. So far, more than 1,500 patients have been infected with the virus. Most of them are patients between the age group of 50 to 80 years. However, 80 to 90 per cent of these patients have been diagnosed with pneumonia and other illnesses in the final stages. Along with pneumonia, acute respiratory failure (ARDS) is one of the leading causes of death.

Pneumonia is not a virus or a bacterium. However, it is a condition or symptom of a lung infection caused by a virus, bacterium or fungus. Currently, the incidence of viral pneumonia is high. Until now, pneumonia has been caused by a variety of causes, but coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death from pneumonia. COVID-19 is a virus that attacks the respiratory system, such as the throat, trachea and lungs.

What exactly is pneumonia?

The oxygen we breathe goes into the alveoli in the lungs. From there it mixes with the blood. When infected with COVID-19, these bags become infected and swollen. In those bags, fluid i.e. 'phlegm' accumulates. This condition is called pneumonia. The patient is then unable to breathe, and the risk of death due to lack of oxygen.

What are the treatments?

There are many treatments for pneumonia which is caused by causes other than COVID-19. However, there are currently no effective drugs or treatments for pneumonia caused by COVID-19. The only solution is to give them antiviral and antibacterial drugs.

Mild symptoms:

- Cough, cold, fever, chills.

Severe symptoms:

- Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, low oxygen levels in the body
- Chest pain when coughing or breathing

Diagnosis:

- The doctor can make a diagnosis by checking the symptoms and the sound of breathing through a stethoscope.
- It can also be diagnosed by chest X-ray, CT scan, bronchoscopy.

Who is at risk?

The elderly, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and asthma, cancer, HIV-infected people have a higher risk due to low immunity.

"An effective drug for coronavirus is an effective way to control pneumonia, but no such drug has yet been introduced. There are different causes of pneumonia and the patient dies due to lung failure," said Dr Subhash Salunkhe, Former Director of Health, Maharashtra State to Sakal Times.

"COVID-19 causes pneumonia and in the latter case, ARDS, leading to the death of patients. Currently, the drugs Remedesivir and Tosilizumab appear to be of little use, but they are not effective and research is underway. However, compared to other countries, we have a very low mortality rate due to corona," Dr Prasad Rajhans, Intensivist, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital said to Sakal Times.

Symptoms of pneumonia:

• Weakness
• Filling the lungs with water or pus
• Difficulty breathing, insufficiency or suffocation.
• Infection throughout the body
• Infiltration of the brain
• Infection of the heart