What is 'silent hypoxia'? Experts weigh in on COVID-19 symptom
A well-known symptom of the coronavirus is low oxygen levels in the body, aka hypoxia, which normally leads to shortness of breath. But some coronavirus patients with hypoxia don't experience this hallmark sign that their oxygen levels have dropped into dangerous territory.
The phenomenon is referred to as "silent" or "happy hypoxia," where the body has oxygen saturation below 90%, but the person can still breathe normally. Some doctors take issue with the term, though, because coronavirus patients with silent hypoxia often have other symptoms, such as fever or cough.
Silent hypoxia isn't new or specific to the coronavirus, interventional pulmonologist Dr. Udit Chaddha, assistant professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told TODAY. It can happen with lung infections, viral or not.
That said, some experts believe it's more common and looks different in COVID-19 versus other respiratory illnesses.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/what-is-silent-hypoxia-experts-weigh-in-on-covid-19-symptom/ar-BB13Nshx?li=BBnb7Kz
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