Coronavirus doctor says lung scans for young patients were ‘nothing short of terrifying’

nypost ^ | 03/17/2020 | Jackie Salo

[ChicagoConservative27]

A Belgian doctor working to battle the coronavirus says he’s treated several seriously ill young patients — and their lung scans were “nothing short of terrifying,” according to reports.

Dr. Ignace Demeyer, who works at a hospital in Aalst, said an increasing number of people between the ages of 30 and 50 have presented with severe symptoms, despite having “blank medical records” that show no underlying conditions that would make them high-risk, the Brussels Times reported.

“They just walk in, but they are terribly affected by the virus,” Demeyer told the Belgian broadcaster VRT.

He said CT scans indicated they were suffering from severe lung damage.

“The images we took yesterday are nothing short of terrifying,” the doctor told the station.

[Jane Long]

FYI...

Belgium has some of the strictist vaping laws, in the EU....

Belgium Sale of e-cig products to under-16s is a no, no and all forms of e-cig advertising and sponsorship is banned, though some industry exemptions are in place. Vaping restrictions apply in public places and subject to the same laws as tobacco.

https://www.buyv2cigs.co.uk/blog/the-most-and-least-vapefriendly-countries-in-europe/

But, then again, it’s JTFB™

[House Atreides]

MHO, ANYTHING you inhale into your lungs can damage your lungs TO SOME DEGREE.
.....................................................................
Oxygen?
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No, I obviously meant anything OTHER than reasonably clean air. Things such as cigarette smoke, vaping products, coal dust, silica forest fire smoke.

But you already knew that, didn’t you?

[Capt. Tom]

I have not found any reference that pulmonary fibrosis heals — generally worsens over time. Lung transplant is the only real “cure”.

When my Doctor diagnosed me with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ,she sent me to a world class expert for a second opinion because she wanted to put me on an experimental drug, and the Insurance would balk.

One of he first things the expert said to me at 79 years of age was "Well your to old for a lung transplant , the only chance you have is trying one of the two new unproven drugs for IPF. Otherwise you will be gone in two years".

Six years later I am still hanging on.-Tom

[steve86]

Good for you!

[AndyJackson]

like 45% under 50

Which is not inconsistent with the fact that the average person who dies from it is over 75 or whatever the number is. Statistical dstributions and tails are odd things and you need to see ALL the numbers, not just a mean or median..

[AndyJackson]

1% of today’s world population of 7.7 billion would be 77 million worldwide deaths from this Coronavirus. That WILL NOT HAPPEN...I have believed, and continue to believe, that Trump has been doing a commendable job of managing this crisis.

You do understand cause and effect - that that won't happen because of measures that have been put in place at enormous expense to head off an international debacle?

The problem that some of us have tried to address is the number of folks here who don't understand that prompt action to mitigate an overwhelming threat coming at us was essential. We have all heard it - "it's just the flu" or efforts to engage in special pleading to argue away what is happening - "Its not a problem because there are far more infections than we know about."

BTW despite the measures in place (which will take some time to have an effect) today there are already a new 1,500 cases in the US vs yesterday of 1,000 - and today ain't over. So each day we are adding increasing numbers to the hospital capacity burden that Governors are raising alarms about.

Italy has another 3,500 new cases today, which makes it look as though their measures are taking hold and they cases have just peaked, but they are still adding to the burden of an overwhelmed hospital system and it will be some time before they can find respite from the onslaught.

[null and void]

Oxygen?

Even oxygen. Pure oxygen is pretty harsh.

[ldish]

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO FIND THE SOB OR SOBS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SH8T AND F’KING BLOW THEIR .....OFF!

SAME AS THE ONES WHO SPIED ON TRUMP AND ATTEMPTED THE ‘COUP’....PROBABLY THE SAME PEOPLE!

Not feeling so well tonight...certainly not happy...and quite broke to boot!

Mad as hell but ‘still trying to take more of it’

[steve86]

I knew someone was going to say that. How about 21% O2?

[null and void]

73.7 (Recovered) + 25.3 (still infected) + 1 (deceased) = 100%

Oooooo sooooooo close!

What will happen to the 25.3% still infected?

You don't know, I don't know, but if you include that number in the denominator to calculate survival and mortality, you are assuming they will all live.

Using the total number of infected is the textbook formula for historical cases.

Historical cases. by definition these are all completed cases, no cases still in process, everyone either survived, or died. No 25.3% unknown. Including cases in process artificially raises the denominator. This underestimates the mortality.

Using only completed cases, that is people who are done with the disease process, either by surviving or not, gives a more accurate number. It does overestimate because dying is quicker, but The Lancet accounted for that by comparing today's deaths to two weeks ago recoveries. They got 5.7%

[null and void]

Even breathing nothing is bad!

[SheepWhisperer]

The immediate questions that come to my mind..

Does this leave permanent lung damage, or is the recovery prognosis complete over time?

If there is complete recovery with no permanent damage, how long is that process?

If the full pulmonary recovery process is over a long period, what happens when they catch next years strain?

If this leaves permanent lung damage, how bad is the damage, what limitations will it impose upon the patient, and what long term effects we’ll be seen? Does it lead to emphysema, or COPD, or other medical complications?

If it is permanent with life long scaring with pulmonary disability, what happens when they catch year’s, or the year after strain? We’re told there high risk groups now. Would those who recovered then be in the high risk group?

[House Atreides]

1% of today’s world population of 7.7 billion would be 77 million worldwide deaths from this Coronavirus. That WILL NOT HAPPEN...I have believed, and continue to believe, that Trump has been doing a commendable job of managing this crisis.
.......................................................................................
You do understand cause and effect - that that won’t happen because of measures that have been put in place at enormous expense to head off an international debacle?

The problem that some of us have tried to address is the number of folks here who don’t understand that prompt action to mitigate an overwhelming threat coming at us was essential.
*******************************************************
Of course I understand cause and effect and clearly understand the dramatic positive effect President Trump’s decisive actions beginning with the Chinese travel ban, and continuing, have had and continue to have. I support those efforts as any rational person would.

The 1% death of the 1918 world’s population caused by the Spanish Flu was the LOW estimate I found. Many estimates “out there” were significantly higher than 1%. The current Coronavirus we’re facing is dangerous and needs to be addressed with strong actions. But I didn’t believe and still don’t believe that it is as deadly as the Spanish Flu was (I partially due to the President’s actions). When I stated that belief to “Travis McGee” and questioned why he was, IMHO, trying to create hysteria among FReepers he apparently took offense and began to call me a “just the flu” guy... a belief which even a cursory look at my posting history would put the lie to.

I really believe that Travis McGee doesn’t personally believe his alarmism. When I tried to pin him down by asking for his PERSONAL estimate of the ultimate number of deaths from this Coronavirus outbreak, he refused to do so. I draw from that reluctance my belief that either he doesn’t really believe his own hype or believes it but is fearful that his guess would prove that he was an idiot when the ultimate number of deaths are known.

[mel]

Yes don’t believe everything read on internet

[AndyJackson]

I really believe that Travis McGee doesn’t personally believe his alarmism

I have seen nothing alarmist about his statements or positions. Ringing the alarm that the house is on fire and needs to be put out is not "alarmism" but prudent response to an imminent danger.

[House Atreides]

“...prudent response to an imminent danger....”
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I haven’t seen a single FReeper want anything other than that. Not even from people, such as myself, who have not believed that we were facing an impending Spanish Flu level (I.e., minimum 1% of TOTAL POPULATION ... over 3 million Americans) wave of deaths. I knew from January that that would NOT occur because of Trump’s decisive actions.

[higgmeister]

I've had the flu many times and even pneumonia about five times in my life.   A few years ago I even asked a doctor that was showing me my chest x-ray what those odd round white spots were in my lungs and he said, "oh that?"   "I wouldn't worry about that, it's just some scarring from an old fungus infection you must have had in the past."

I remembered that fungus infection well because I couldn't get my doctor to listen to me when I told him I had an odd feeling there was something growing in my chest.   I think that the infection came from a sweet little Shar-Pei we got from a former friend that moved to Florida to start an online dating service of all things.   He and his wife kept her for a puppy mill in a chicken wire pen in his backyard.   My wife was appalled that any human could neglect a dog like that.

Lung capacity no doubt is diminished but I imagine no more than my lungs were thirty five years ago when I quit smoking.   I got over that too.   You carry on, don't cry about it and get over it.   Six years into my retirement, I have no fear of your worst disease imaginable.

I'll leave the sewage waste to you since you are so much better at it.

[Robert DeLong]

Let me try a different approach. The number of recovered can never be 100% by the mere fact that 7 died, which is 1% of 712 (total number of people infected). If all 108 still infected recover, then the recovered percentage, (705 0f 712) of the original infected, would be 99%.

In other words, you are totally ignoring the classification of those who are still infected. Recovered and deceased are only 2 of the 3 exiting classifications. At some point in time there will only be 2 classifications, died, & recovered, remaining. The 3rd classification will either add all to one of the 2 remaining classifications, or they will be split between the 2 classifications. But under neither scenario can recovered equal 100%. That could only happen if no one had died, but 7 have died already. Which is why the best case scenario we can pray for is 99% recovered. But the odds of that being the case are extremely slim to none.

Does that help at all?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

the death rate is not the most important thing. Many people require intensive hospitalization, without dying. That's the big issue.

Personally, I'd take hospitalization over death any day.

[AndyJackson]

I haven’t seen a single FReeper want anything other than that.

I won't waste my time making a catalog of Freepers who advocated for doing not a damn thing because it is a nothingburger - missing the irony that we are even dependent upon China for our nothingburgers.