Each of us can become infected with the coronavirus. However, not everyone will pass COVID-19 in the same way. The vast majority of patients have mild COVID-19 symptoms and can recover at home. How to treat COVID-19 at home? What medications and devices should be bought in advance, before the disease strikes us? See what the doctor advises.

There is no vaccine or effective drug for COVID-19 yet. And each of us can get sick. Most - because statistics show that as much as 80-90 percent. - fortunately, it will pass the disease relatively mildly, and COVID-19 will not progress beyond the first, mildly symptomatic stage. In this case, the disease can be treated at home - the need to stay in the hospital appears only when the disease progresses to full-blown stages.

But even those symptoms of COVID-19 that are described as mild, such as cough, fever or muscle aches and general weakness, as well as impaired sense of smell and taste can be quite severe - and because in the vast majority of cases are not a reason for hospitalization, the patient recovers in his own bed. So it's good to knowhow to treat COVID-19 at homeand how to alleviate the symptoms of coronavirus infection, especially as the number of new infections is increasing day by day.

This does not mean, however, that you can treat yourself if you suspect COVID-19 - many recommendations are tailored by doctors individually to patients, especially if they additionally suffer from chronic diseases and take medications on a permanent basis.

How are mild COVID-19 symptoms treated? Latest guidelines

As the drug explains. med. Michał Domaszewski, family medicine specialist,mild COVID-19 symptoms are treated symptomatically , which means - we alleviate individual symptoms.

- My practice as a family doctor who treats this disease shows that very common symptoms such as headaches, especially those caused by conjunctivitis, and very high fatigue, which may persist for weeks after returning to he alth. - says the drug. med. Michał Domaszewski.

Therefore, one of the key issues is rest. It is important to get enough sleep and rest, but do not work remotely - many people do not have the strength to do so.

Fevershould be lowered using universallyavailable antipyretic drugs - paracetamol (the recommended daily dose is about 4x1 g) or ibuprofen (3 x 400 mg).

You should also alleviate the cough , especially the tiring one. - The guidelines say that the treatment of cough should start with honey. If this does not help, take codeine phosphate at a dose of 4x15 mg daily. - says the drug. med. Michał Domaszewski.

Many COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell and taste. But even if everything tastes like paper,you should eat a few easy-to-digest meals a day- eating the body draws strength to fight the disease.

Adequate hydration is also important . - A patient with COVID-19 should drink about 2 liters of water a day - says the drug. med. Michał Domaszewski.

He alth monitoring

In some cases, even with initially mild COVID-19 symptoms, the disease may progress to a full-blown form.Therefore, the patient should constantly monitor his he alth.How to do it?

- The most important element seems to besaturation , which is the oxygen saturation of peripheral blood heboglobin - explains the drug. med. Michał Domaszewski.

Saturation can be checked using a pulse oximeter, which is a device that you put on your finger. - If the saturation is higher than 95%, there is no cause for concern - says the doctor. - If it is lower, please contact your doctor. It is worth knowing that in people with chronic respiratory diseases, the baseline saturation may be lower, which does not necessarily mean increasing respiratory failure caused by COVID-19, but it is up to the doctor to decide whether this is the case.

- You should also monitor the fever and if it does not go away after taking the recommended dose of drugs, it is also advisable to contact a doctor - says the drug. med. Michał Domaszewski.

Patients with COVID-19 should also have their blood pressure monitored , especially if they have high blood pressure. -. The bad symptom will be both too high and too low pressure (e.g. below 90/60 mmHg). If, at low pressure, the heart rate rises to e.g. above 100 / "while resting - this is another reason to contact a doctor - says the drug. Michał Domaszewski, MD, reminding you not to use wrist pressure monitors as they are not reliable.

COVID-19 treatment at home - what not to do?

If you suffer from COVID-19, do not take any medications without consulting your doctor. Glucocorticosteroids are particularly inadvisable - according to the latest guidelines, they are not used in patients with the first stage of COVID-19 due to the fact that they are not effective in people who do not require oxygen therapy, but they canincrease the replication of the virus.

It is also inadvisable to use antibiotics, anti-influenza drugs, vitamin D or low molecular weight heparin - unless it is justified by another disease.

You should also not take warm baths - you may even lose consciousness due to weakness in the bathtub.

According to the current guidelines, it is also not recommended to use home oxygen therapy - the need to administer oxygen is an absolute indication for hospitalization. As we read on the website of the Ministry of He alth: "Home oxygen therapy is commonly used in the treatment of patients with chronic respiratory failure, but it cannot be used in the treatment of acute respiratory failure.

The appearance of acute respiratory failure indicates the progression of the disease and the threat of a very rapid deterioration, which may lead to an immediate threat to life. In addition, the use of oxygen therapy at home may delay the patient's arrival at the hospital, which means that the patient loses the chance of receiving treatment requiring the use of severe COVID-19 disease in the first days of severe COVID-19 disease (5-8 days from the onset of symptoms). "

When to call an ambulance?

If symptoms worsen after a few days, contact your GP, as it may mean that the disease has progressed to the second stage, in which patients require hospital treatment due to the fact that they may need oxygen therapy, antiviral treatment or prophylaxis of thromboembolic changes.

Lek. med Michał Domaszewski also advises to call an ambulance (without waiting for a teleportation) when breathlessness occurs.

I emphasizes that the above guidelines are only general rules of conduct - COVID-19 is treated depending on the individual burden and age of the patient, so even when treating COVID-19 at home, always follow the doctor's instructions.

Category:

COVID 19