A common question being asked by people is that is CT scan mandatory for all COVID-19 patients? Onlymyhealth editorial team spoke to Dr. Puneet Khanna, HOD, Pulmonology & Respiratory Medicine, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Delhi, about the importance of CT scans for Covid positive patients. To test whether you are Covid positive or negative, the people are getting tested for CT scan. CT scans are not mandatory for all Covid patients. In Covid patients, it is used for imaging lungs to check for inflammation and fibrosis. CT scan is necessary for a small proportion of patients in which it is suspicious that their pneumonia is moderate or severe, on the basis of degree of severity, the doctors decide that how much aggressive treatment should be given to the patient. CT scans are not required in mild cases and patients should never get a CT scan without doctor's advice as it also has too many side effects and radiation effects.
Ever since the second wave hit the country, cases of lung infection due to COVID-19 were being reported too often. According to reports, a little bit of inflammation in the lungs can also cause chest pain. In such cases, healthcare experts suggest patients to go for an X-Ray or CT Scan to check the level of infection in the lungs. However, it is not the ideal test to diagnose if one is Covid positive or not.
CT scan is not a test for Covid but it is only needed when one is having moderate symptoms. CT scan is not required in most of the cases. It is only needed in cases where one is experiencing severe to moderate symptoms. If the test is done early, RT-PCR test will give positive results only when done in early days.
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