COVID-19 infection starts in the upper respiratory tract and then can affect the lungs. According to doctors, it can wreak havoc on them. See the shocking video of Dr. Bartosz Fiałka showing what is happening to the lungs of a COVID-19 patient.

Scientists agree that all coronaviruses have an affinity for the respiratory epithelium, so they multiply most efficiently in our respiratory system. At the initial stage of infection, the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus destroys more cells in our body, which tries to get rid of them, stimulating us to cough dry.

Usually COVID-19 infection ends at this stage (this happens in roughly80 percent of patients ), but in more ill people (especially those with comorbidities, such as high blood pressure or diabetes) the virus enters the lungs, where it begins to multiply very intensively. This stage is usually very rapid.

COVID-19 goes into the lungs

After descending into the lungs, the coronavirusmultiplies in the cells of the respiratory epithelium , attacking cells with cilia (responsible for clearing the airways) and goblet cells that produce mucus that moisturizes the lungs from the inside. This mucus also helps to remove all contaminants, germs and allergens from the lungs.

COVID-19 causes the lungs of a sick person to clog up with lots of damaged cells. And the stronger the body's immune response, the more dead cells remain in the lungs. A vicious circle is forming. About a week after the onset of the first symptoms, some patients developinflammation in both lungs , accompanied by high fever, shortness of breath and severe cough.

In addition to epithelial cells, the coronavirus also destroys the alveoli, which are responsible for supplying blood to the lungs and removing carbon dioxide from them - hence shortness of breath. Additionally, oxygenation of the lungs can be hindered by the fluid that is constantly being produced in the lungs.

If lung damage continues, the patient develops respiratory failure. And then it may be necessary to connect the patient to a ventilator.

In extreme cases, so much fluid builds up in the lungs that the patient may simply suffocate. This is calledAcute Respiratory Syndrome(also called"wet lung") and most often ends in death. The same characteristic symptom accompanied the SARS virus, which attacked in 2002.

COVID-19 - complications

As reported by scientists from the Lancet journal, apart from acute respiratory failure syndrome, a common complication after COVID-19 was also sepsis, heart failure, blood coagulation disorders and acute heart damage. Such an infection severely damages the lining of the lungs, which can pave the way for bacteria and cause even more serious bacterial infections.

The latest reports by Chinese scientists also show that the SARS CoV-2coronavirus permanently damages the lungs . They form fibrosis, which is something similar to scars that stiffen the tissue in the lungs. Similar changes occur with untreated asthma.

COVID-19 - how long does it take to recover from illness?

According to doctors, the recovery period after undergoing COVID-19 depends to a large extent on the course of the infection and the patient's state of he alth. However, on average it takesfrom a month to even several months(e.g. in people suffering from additional asthma).

Moreover, with severe lung damage and severe scarring, the lungs may not regenerate at all. The analysis of COVID-19 studies in nearly 200 Chinese patients, reported in the Lancet journal, indicates that as many as45 percentof people who have had coronavirus infection and tests have shown that their body does not already has the virus, was still coughing on the day of his discharge home. And the patients were discharged from the hospital on average22 daysafter the first symptoms of the disease appeared.

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Infectious diseases