When your body has very low oxygen levels, it is known as hypoxia. Normal oxygen saturation levels lie between 94-99%, but when COVID-19 takes a toll on your lungs, it may cause your oxygen levels to drop. Hypoxia can be identified with various symptoms ranging from breathlessness (difficult to breath) to chest pain to other respiratory complications.
But in COVID-19, many patients are presented to emergency departments with a drop in oxygen levels in blood without having any such obvious external signs which is what leads to late diagnosis and complications. This condition is called ‘happy hypoxia’ or more accurately ‘silent hypoxemia’. The name suggests as ‘happy hypoxia’ is therefore as the patient who is suffering from this disease, until diagnosis, appears happy and alright on the outside.
Why do oxygen levels drop in COVID-19 patients?
Coronavirus is a respiratory disease that causes widespread inflammation in different parts of the body, including the lungs and the respiratory tract. It blocks the flow of oxygenated blood in the body, making it hard for the patients to breathe. Experts believe that coagulation, or more simply, widespread clotting that takes place in the blood vessels in the lungs is what causes a drop in oxygen levels.
How to detect ‘happy hypoxia’ at the right time?
Experts recommend regular monitoring of oxygen levels in COVID-19 patients whether a patient has mild infections or is asymptomatic because hypoxia is associated with in-hospital mortality. Pulse oximetry is used routinely to measure oxygen saturation. It should be interpreted with caution.
Health care workers should closely monitor the respiratory rate of the patient, signs of over-breathing (hyperventilation), and measurements of reduction in oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia)/ a decrease in carbon dioxide in the blood (hypocapnia) at regular time intervals in addition to measuring the oxygen saturation.
Signs of low oxygen levels in COVID-19 patients
COVID-19 may not always trigger low oxygen levels. Mild COVID may include symptoms such as fever, cough, and loss of sense of smell and taste. However, people who find it difficult to breathe at any given point, they must be taken to the hospital and must seek medical help.
If you're still wondering what a low oxygen level in the body feels like, here are some signs to help you understand it more closely.
▪️ Shortness of breath
▪️ Chest pain
▪️ Confusion
▪️ Discoloration of lips or bluish lips
▪️ Nose flaring
When should a person receive oxygen therapy?
When the oxygen saturation levels drop below 90%, it is a sign that one needs oxygen therapy, and it needs to be provided under medical supervision.
References:-
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/coronavirus-what-is-happy-hypoxia-and-how-dangerous-can-it-be-for-covid-19-patients/photostory/83509650.cms
Dhont, S., Derom, E., Van Braeckel, E., Depuydt, P. and Lambrecht, B.N., 2020. The pathophysiology of ‘happy’hypoxemia in COVID-19. Respiratory research, 21(1), pp.1-9.
Wilson-Baig, N., 2021. Happy hypoxia in COVID-19: pathophysiology and pulse oximetry accuracy. Journal of Paramedic Practice, 13(7), pp.288-296.
Heshani Hasintha
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