WHAT IS HAPPY HYPOXIA IN COVID-19 INFECTED younger population?

It's been almost two years since the world was hit by an alien virus aka COVID-19. This pandemic has scared the hell out of every developed and developing nation by killing about millions worldwide and the number still continues.

At first, as we all know,  it started out with milder symptoms of cough, sore throat, diarrhea, fever, and in moderate cases with a decrease in spO2 with difficulty in breathing and failure of clotting mechanism leading to uncontrolled blood clots causing death in untreated cases.

Now with the second wave of this mysterious virus in India, experts are concerned about this HAPPY HYPOXIA in younger populations infected with the coronavirus. let's know further about it, how it is dangerous and how can we prevent it.

WHAT IS HAPPY HYPOXIA?

In general, hypoxia is a condition that refers to low levels of OXYGEN in your blood. The normal oxygen saturation in a normal healthy person ranges from 95%-98% and people infected with covid-19 will have decreased spO2 usually below 80% in moderate and even below 40% in severe cases.

This hypoxia is a warning sign which tells us about the imminent failure of major organs incl. HEART, KIDNEYS, BRAIN, LIVER, and it's associated with severe difficulty in breathing along with bluish discoloration of lips, hands, and feet. 

In cases of HAPPY HYPOXIA, there are no such warning signs and the patient seems to be happy on the outside. This occurs in the younger population, especially with a good immune response.

WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE SUDDEN DECREASE IN OXYGEN LEVEL?

 The primary cause of HYPOXIA is the widespread clotting of blood in the small vessel of your lungs. In the younger population, due to stronger lung capacity and better immune systems, they are able to maintain spO2 levels even with damages in their lungs due to coronavirus.

Younger people don't feel sick with no difficulty in breathing until it's too late and the damage goes to a level,  where the sudden decrease in the oxygen level causes a sudden collapse.

The main pathology lies in the inflammatory reaction that occurs in the whole body due to the virus, where the body activates coagulation cascade leading to blood clots that get accumulated in your lungs and this further hinders the oxygen exchange mechanism in the lung alveoli, causing a decrease in spO2 level in the blood.

HOW TO IDENTIFY HAPPY HYPOXIA?

Our experts at healthopathy suggest the following guidelines :

1. Even with have minor symptoms of COVID-19, such as cough, sore throat, fever, headaches, without any difficulty in breathing,  it is advised to continuously record and measure your blood oxygen levels using a pulse oximeter.

2. Do note the change in the color of your lips from naturally red to turning blue, while skin discoloration occurs from the normal reddish to a purple appearance.

3. Persistent sweating at rest or in a hot surroundings is another warning signal for low blood oxygen levels.

Keeping an eye out for these warning signs of happy hypoxia ensures early treatment in a hospital setting, thereby maintaining lung capacity and normal breathing in the affected individual and helping them recover from COVID-19.

ALWAYS CALL 911 IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY OR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IN YOUR RESPECTIVE COUNTRY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND DO-FOLLOW COVID ETIQUETTES AND DO GET VACCINATED.

LET'S TOGETHER  WIN A WAR GOING AGAINST THIS ALIEN VIRUS.