The nature of Omicron makes the Covid-19 variant particularly troublesome for people with asthma or other long-term respiratory illnesses, doctors treating Covid-19 patients have said.
According to research cited by global media in early January, Omicron is more likely to infect the throat than the lungs. This leads to less serious health risk for most people, but it causes significant suffering for asthma patients.
Prof Dr Sayedul Islam, director of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH) as well as the National Asthma Centre, said: “It appears that patients with asthma and other respiratory diseases are suffering a lot from Omicron. It could be deadly for them.”
There is a possibility that the infection may induce an asthma panic attack, posing a significant threat to the lives of patients with the condition, he added.
Furthermore, asthma patients have a greater chance of developing severe Covid. Omicron’s tendency to affect the throat combined with the invasive nature of treatment for severe Covid may end up damaging the patient’s vocal chords, physicians have said.
“Ventilators are life-saving machines, but having an endotracheal tube placed in the airway is not a natural state for any human body,” said Dr Anisur Rahman, a care provider at the Covid-19 intensive care unit at Mugda General Hospital.
Even normal patients may experience mild throat swelling or fluid build-up after a breathing tube is removed. These symptoms of irritation and swelling can lead to coughing or clearing one’s throat more frequently, further irritating the vocal system.
While the hoarseness and swelling usually subside after a few days, they again pose the risk of triggering asthma attacks.
The doctor urged people with asthma and other respiratory conditions to wear masks and follow health guidelines especially stringently.
Bangladesh logged 27 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday, taking the total fatality of the pandemic in Bangladesh to 28,771.
The caseload rose to 18,99,803 with 5,268 new infections reported in the 24 hours to 8am, according to figures released by the Directorate General of Health Services.