Happy Hypoxia: A Threat to Youngsters

TNI Bureau:   The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India has been far more damaging than the first one and the younger adults are getting more infected. Even mortality rates of younger generation are also slightly higher.

Doctors say, younger people are getting more infected in the current wave of coronavirus because they may be having mild or no symptoms. Most of them don’t even realize that their oxygen level is going low, but they continue their normal activities, which results in breathlessness or drowsiness. They seek timely treatment, otherwise death is inevitable.

The health experts have termed this condition “Happy (silent) Hypoxia”. “Happy Hypoxia” occurs in corona virus patients where the body has oxygen saturation below 90%, but the person can still breathe normally. This condition is playing crucial role in causing deaths in the younger generation.

According to some senior physicians, silent Hypoxia occurs in corona virus patients when the ventilation is pretty normal in the areas of lungs but they are having lower level of oxygen. They seek medical care immediately and can be treated with a ventilator.

Doctors also appeal to everyone, especially youngsters, to frequently check SpO2 levels and get hospitalized if it goes below 92% and also get ready for a High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) scan.

Meanwhile, India on Thursday, recorded a total of 363,727 fresh COVID-19 cases and 4120 new deaths in last 24 hours as per data from the Union Health Ministry.