ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — When you think of COVID-19, you think fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Now, doctors believe it is also responsible for a diverse and confusing array of other symptoms as the virus inflames a person’s body.
Dr. Bob Cambridge is a critical-care physician at AdventHealth Orlando. He’s helped care for COVID-19 patients who’ve ended up in intensive care.
He said one thing’s become abundantly clear: “Much of what this virus does is, there’s this tremendous inflammatory response all throughout the body,” he said.
Inflammation refers to your body’s process to fight off something bad, but that process can cause serious issues if it goes on for too long.
Cambridge said it appears the virus inflames the blood vessels causing blood clots which can lead to organ damage such as heart failure or kidney failure.
Loss of oxygen in the blood caused by COVID-19 often leads to severe shortness of breath for many patients, but not all.
Doctors have also been learning more about the people infected who should be gasping for air, but aren’t.
Doctors often see doctors hospitalized who have hypoxia. See more below:
© 2020 Cox Media Group
