Health professionals in Kolkata are concerned about post-Covid lung fibrosis and other complications. According to medical professionals, lung fibrosis was reportedly occurring in the city among patients who needed intensive care during the Covid treatment, which includes oxygen support and steroid therapy.

The state health department recommends chest High-resolution computed tomography (HRCTs) to identify the kind and severity of lung abnormalities and that pulmonary fibrosis should be addressed by specialized medical professionals. Post-Covid lung fibrosis, according to doctors, is curable. Kolkata Medical College (KMC) has started performing Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) tests at its primary health clinics to identify bacterial and viral illnesses in the lungs.

The CBNAAT tests demonstrated the tests′ efficacy and had a twofold impact. Experts stated that people with poor COVID frequently experience inadequate immunity over a period of time. They can get secondary illnesses, such as tuberculosis.

The CBNAAT facility was there in five medical colleges in Kolkata. The representatives of the KMC health department stated that the civic body is offering the CBNAAT and TrueNAT (a chip-based, point-of-care, rapid molecular test for diagnosis of infectious diseases) test facilities to patients who tested positive for Covid and later experienced lung fibrosis as well as other complications related to the lungs at the clinics after the Swasthya Bhawan increased testing.

A KMC senior health department official claims that the civic organization has purchased pricey medical equipment to implement the testing at its health clinics. Another KMC doctor said that as Covid-19 frequently causes latent tuberculosis to reactivate, physicians at the health clinics were advised to suggest CBNAAT testing for individuals who appeared to have TB or who had a cough. Patients are also being referred by private practitioners to health clinics for these examinations.

(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/docs-see-post-cov-spike-in-lung-fibrosis-cases/articleshow/96926154.cms)