More young people are dying because of sudden decline in oxygen levels. Doctors recommend youngsters to keep a check on the saturation.
Patna: ‘Happy Hypoxia’ has hit the country along with the second wave of COVID-19. Doctors confirmed that in Bihar, 30 percent of deaths among young patients in Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and hospital happened due to this condition.
Dr Ashok Kumar Bhagat, the Superintendent of Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital said, “In our hospital we found out that some young people who came in critical conditions lost their lives due to hypoxia. And youngsters overlook these symptoms thinking that it won’t impact them. And by the time they reach hospital, the saturation level already deteriorates.”
Authorities of the hospital said that this condition is most common among 23-45 age group as they do not realize their oxygen level is low and continue doing their work. The drop in Oxygen level is instant and the patient becomes unstable. But the youths seem to be unaware of it.
Tarushi Mohan, a 23-year-old COVID-19 patient said, “I have no idea what the term means though I have heard of it before. I got mild symptoms of the infection. While I was suffering from COVID-19, I used to check my oxygen level several times. It was for like 5-6 days. But I stopped having symptoms, I checked the levels only once a day.”
Health Expert said ‘Hypoxia’ is a condition when there is decreasing saturation level of Oxygen (O2), therefore sufficient oxygen doesn’t reach the tissue levels. So there is failure of functioning vital organs like kidney, heart and brain, leading to breathlessness followed by fatality. And when a young person is unaware of their condition and is able to do the work normally, this is considered as happy hypoxia.
Normal saturation level of oxygen is above 95 per cent for a healthy person but in COVID conditions, the level drops down below 60-50 per cent.
Chandrakant Laharia, a Health Expert said, “In all COVID-19 cases, the lungs are involved so there is a risk of their oxygen level going down. That’s why all the patients are suggested to keep a constant check on oxygen levels.”
Experts suggest a constant check on the oxygen levels would help the patient and doctor in detecting the critical condition. Any careless approach can take away lives.
