A respiratory health specialist recently described how the novel coronavirus affects the lungs of a COVID-19-afflicted patient by examining the X-Ray images of deceased patients.

In a recent article, respiratory physician John Wilson said that unlike typical pneumonia which affects only a small portion of the lungs, COVID-19 affects all of the lungs.

In the X-ray images of a 44-year-old Chinese man who succumbed to COVID-19 released by the Radiological Society of North America, it can be seen how coronavirus destroys one's respiratory system, particularly the lungs, through an abnormality called "ground glass opacity."

The scans of the coronavirus victim show white patches in the lower corners of his lungs which indicates the abnormality as air spaces are partially filled.

The X-ray images also show how the fluid that filled the spaces in the man's lungs became more noticeable as time went by-a phenomenon that is also evident in patients who suffered from SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome).

Researchers have also seen the same abnormality in the scans of another COVID-19 patient, a 54-year-old woman who traveled to Wuhan, China in January. The patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and tested positive for COVID-19 after suffering from flu-like symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue, and chest congestion for a week. Her scans also show white patches, with the left upper lobe of her lung showing a reversed halo sign.

Wilson further explained that almost all of the serious consequences of COVID-19 feature pneumonia.

COVID-19 patients can be placed into four broad categories, the largest of which include those who develop extreme flu-like symptoms.

The respiratory health expert explained that once a person afflicted with COVID-19 develops a cough and fever, that's an indication that the infection has already reached the respiratory tree, the air passages that conduct air between the lungs and the outside.

"The lining of the respiratory tree becomes injured, causing inflammation," said Wilson.

"This, in turn, irritates the nerves in the lining of the airway. Just a speck of dust can stimulate a cough. But if this gets worse, it goes past just the lining of the airway and goes to the gas exchange units, which are at the end of the air passages. If they become infected, they respond by pouring out inflammatory material into the air sacks that are at the bottom of our lungs," he added.

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According to Wilson, if the air sacks develops inflammation, inflammatory material will outpour into the lungs, and will cause pneumonia.

Once the inflammatory material fills the lungs, the lungs loses its ability to get sufficient oxygen to the bloodstream, therefore lowering the body's ability to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

"That's the usual cause of death with severe pneumonia," he explained.

As of this writing, there is no cure and vaccine against coronavirus but scientists are fast-tracking research to end the crisis caused by the pandemic.

As such, tests such as X-Rays can provide them a clearer insight on the coronavirus.