Lung damage due to Covid 19

[tarponchik]

I am sure the COVID-19 will be added to the forms we fill when checking in at liveaboards. "Have you ever suffered from the following conditions (check all boxes that apply): (1) Anencephaly (2) Ebola infection (3) Aortic aneurysm (4) COVID-19 (5) All of the above

 

[diver0008]

I would not recommend making any firm conclusions or recommendations based on short term results of six divers. I would especially refrain from using terms like "the damage to the lungs is irreversible" when they have only had a few weeks of follow-up.

Very disconcerting that not only in this case but in general, highly preliminary information (speculation) is being released to the general public (or at all). Very irresponsible, which I suppose may be the key word for how this whole thing has been handled from the beginning. We'd better learn from this, and not just scientifically, but socially.

 

[Mod63]

Maybe some background on this article will help; and I think some points got lost in translation.

Frank is head of the ER at Innsbruck University Hospital, a diving physican and avid technical diver and is currently running their COVID-19 response team. He is regulary publishing papers on diving accidents from his daily work in "Wetnotes", a German magazin geared towards technical divers.

He has decided to pre-release his upcomig paper to the general public as to alert everybody to be carfull; at the same time he states that all long term findings are to be taken not as the final truth but as the current state of affairs which are likly to change.

The biggest concern for him is that people that feel well go diving and end up with DCI. The six patients he describes were all diagnosed with COVID-19, but all had none to mild symptoms and where not admitted to hospital. After recovery, they presented to him for their dive medicals, and he had to tell all six that they were unfit to dive.

There is a clear statement that it is way to early to judge the longterm effects but that it is hard to believe that the lungs will recover fully in those patients.
Finally, there are some personal recomendatios from Frank:

• stay save and do your best to not get infected, as no one knows the long term effects of even a mild case

• if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspect that you have been infected, get a full dive medical with an extend screening of the lungs

 

[Edward3c]

This would be more convincing if it had some academic rigor and scrutiny. As it is its just a FB posting.

 

[BlueTrin]

There was an article in German which mentioned that even Covid with mild symptoms can cause lung damage.

It seems that the article will be translated in the May edition of Undercurrent, but the gist is that if you think you had Covid you should go for a scan.

google translate link
https://translate.googleusercontent...nkung/&usg=ALkJrhhHTppJ44BeYXgVWgoJYvWLFuVznA

Covid-19 Harms Divers Lungs

Divers who suffered from Covid-19 disease may never be able to dive again, says senior physician Frank Hartig at the Innsbruck University Clinic in Austria. (RAINews.IT) The clinic has treated dozens of corona virus sufferers including six active divers, none of whom had to be treated in hospital, but cured themselves in home quarantine and are considered recovered. But, “the damage to the lungs is irreversible,” said Hartig. “After a Covid-19 infection, even if you have only mild symptoms, you should definitely have a dive doctor examine you thoroughly, even if you still have an upright medical examination.” Undercurrent will provide the complete article in the upcoming May issue.

 

[uncfnp]

Hi BlueTrin. There is a thread...

Lung damage due to Covid 19

 

[jmark18]

I think a lot of people are missing the point. In SOME divers there will be permanent or long term damage to lung tissue that MAY make divers more at risk of lung injury when diving. It really says that if you have had any signs of or a positive test for covid 19 to get FULLY checked before getting back in the water. As much as any of us love diving it is not worth dieing for.

 

[Mod63]

Hi,

the English translation is not quite correct, Frank does not state the "irreversible" as a fact. His paper reads:
"As far as long term effects on the lung are concerened, this is not clear at present and any statement would be speculation. We do not know how much of the current changes (to the lung) will be permanent. In many cases it is hard to believe that the lung will heal completely."

 

[kelemvor]

It seems that the article has been translated in Undercurrent, but the gist is that if you think you had Covid you should go for a scan.

I can't find it on undercurrent. I was going to suggest that mod63 email them about the error as undercurrent is good about making corrections... but like I said, I can't find the article there.

 

[BlueTrin]

I can't find it on undercurrent. I was going to suggest that mod63 email them about the error as undercurrent is good about making corrections... but like I said, I can't find the article there.

I re-read the post and it said in May, I had read the Google translation when it was posted earlier in FB.

I’ll edit.