Home
# What is covid-19 pneumonia? No fixed definition of covid-19 pneumonia exists; in this article the term is used when describing patients with clinical features of covid-19 infection who have either clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia,45 or acute respiratory distress.1
Like other pneumonias, covid-19 pneumonia causes the density of the lungs to increase. This may be seen as whiteness in the lungs on radiography which, depending on the severity of the pneumonia, obscures the lung markings that are normally seen; however, this may be delayed in appearing or absent.
• When lung markings are partially obscured by the increased whiteness, a ground glass pattern (ground glass opacity, fig 1) occurs. This can be subtle and might need confirmation with a radiologist.
Covid-19 pneumonia can be classed as an atypical pneumonia because of the radiographic appearances of multifocal ground glass opacity, linear opacities, and consolidation. These changes are also seen in other atypical pneumonias, including other coronavirus infections (severe acute respiratory system, SARS, and Middle East respiratory syndrome, MERS)
Review the radiograph systematically, looking for abnormalities of the heart, mediastinum, lungs, diaphragm, and ribs,9 and remembering that radiographic changes of covid-19 pneumonia can be subtle or absent.
Compare with previous chest radiographs when available.
Look for evidence of ground glass opacity, peripheral linear opacities, or consolidation in the lung.
For patients with severe symptoms, imaging might help to assess the seriousness of the disease. And when used with lab tests, a thorough medical history and a physical exam, CT scans or x-rays can be helpful for determining a plan of care for a patient.