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India Covid crisis: Avoid CT scan in mild cases, warns AIIMS chief

New Delhi - One CT scan is equivalent to 300 to 400 chest X-rays,” said Dr Randeep Guleria.

The Covid-19 crisis has triggered off a spate of indiscriminate intake of steroids and many with mild symptoms going for CT scans and other tests, which could cause more harm, warned Dr Randeep Guleria, the director of the All India Institute of Medical Science.

“One CT scan is equivalent to 300 to 400 chest X-rays,” said Guleria in Delhi. “According to data, repeated CT scans in younger age groups increases the risk of cancer in later life.” He warned that exposing oneself to radiation causes damage. “There is no point in doing a CT scan in mild Covid-19 cases if the oxygen saturation is normal.”

Guleria, a member of the national task force on Covid-19, said many hospitals were witnessing patients who had taken steroids that had triggered virus replication and causing a drop in oxygen levels. “We have to understand that taking steroids at the early stage can give more stimulus to virus replication,” he said. “In many cases, mild cases are becoming severe and patients are reporting severe pneumonia. Steroids have no role in the first five days of illness.”

The AIIMS director also urged that if a person is Covid positive but with mild symptoms, then there was no need to go for blood tests, CPC or LDH, “as these will only create a panic reaction.”