What do the lungs affected by coronavirus look like

Shocking X-rays of a 44-year-old patient from A Chinese man who died of coronavirus is shown what this disease does to human lungs. We are facing the most dangerous complication of the virus, which turns into severe pneumonia.

X-rays and computed tomography of a 44-year-old Chinese patient have been published. They clearly show exactly how the virus destroys the lung tissue. According to doctors, the injuries are similar to those found in the lungs of victims of SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome.

X-rays and tomograms of the lungs of a 44-year-old patient who died of coronavirus were presented by Chinese doctors. They give a detailed picture of how the virus destroys a person's lungs.

The pictures show white spots in the lower parts of the lungs. Doctors call them "subpleural seals like frosted glass." In these areas, the air bubbles of the lungs are partially filled with the contents. Similar lesions were also observed in patients with atypical pneumonia and Middle East respiratory syndrome.

The deceased 44-year-old man from He lived in Wuhan and worked at the local seafood market, which probably became the source of the new virus. He was hospitalized on December 25, 2019 after two weeks of illness. Doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Despite treatment, he died a week later.

These are pictures of a 54-year-old woman who, upon returning from Wuhan was diagnosed with severe viral pneumonia. During the treatment, doctors gave her oxygen and antibiotics.

This is a snapshot of the lungs of a 45-year-old woman from Sichuan, tested after returning from Japan and diagnosed as a carrier of the virus. The picture shows a number of similar formations, but here they are concentrated in the upper lobe of the left lung.

Thus, doctors say, the virus is dangerous, first of all, by its destructive effect on the lungs. The insidiousness of the virus, first of all, lies in the long hidden period of the disease, which lasts 2 weeks. Moreover, during this period, it is impossible to detect the virus in the body of a sick person with standard tests based on the study of saliva, mucus or sputum — they are effective only after the manifestations of the disease have already begun.

To date, the coronavirus epidemic in China has declined. It manifests itself most strongly in Italy, where 12,462 cases and 827 deaths from the virus have been registered.