Part II in the HAE Pulmonary series looks at how our lungs change with age, and reviews some of the common pathologies experienced that can affect lung health.
Fortunately, about 80% of people who get Covid-19 will experience only mild symptoms. However, the other 20% can experience more severe symptoms and 5% may experience critical illness as a result. Recovery from moderate to severe Covid-19 can take weeks, months or longer. Generally, the longer you were in the hospital, ICU or on a mechanical ventilator, the longer you may experience residual effects, and the more protracted your recovery may be. The APTA has provided physical therapists with a wonderful resource, the PACER series (Post-Acute Covid-19 Exercise and Rehabilitation project) to help us best prepare to care for patients as they recover from Covid-10 and I have pulled together some of the most relevant information I learned from this course here for you. If you contracted Covid-19, and still don’t feel yourself despite the ‘all-clear’ of a negative test, here are some things you may be experiencing, and some information on how Physical Therapy can help you continue along the recovery process.
Part III, and my favorite part to write, reviews the concrete steps we can take to prevent pulmonary disease and slow age-related changes to the lungs.