Dokter RSA UGM Tegaskan Swab Test Aman dan Tidak Merusak Otak
Dokter RSA UGM Tegaskan Swab Test Aman dan Tidak Merusak Otak
There is recent busy news on social media about the Covid-19 swab test can damage brain circulation. Some netizens claim a keen test for swab nose has pierced the brain and made it to do lobotomy.
Then, is it correct that the Covid-19 swab test can damage the brain? ENT specialist doctor UGM Academic Hospital, dr. Anton Sony Wibowo, Sp.THT-KL, M.Sc., FICS., said that swab tests are safe and do not harm or damage the brain because this swab test will not enter the blood-brain barrier.
He explained that the location of the cerebral blood barrier was relatively far from the anatomic location where the swab worked. Besides, there is a strong base of the brain that protects the brain's blood barrier.
"It is not true that the Covid-19 swab test can harm the brain because it only reaches up to the nasopharynx or the back wall of the nose and oral cavity," he said on Friday (24/7).
Anton said the swab test would not damage the blood-brain barrier, except under certain conditions. For example, rupture of the brain wall due to tumours or trauma.
The swab test is now quite busy discussed because it is one of the methods in detecting the presence of coronavirus that causes Covid-19 in humans. The allied health conducted the test by taking samples of mucus, phlegm, or fluid in the nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal area in patients suspected of being infected with the coronavirus.
"The swab test has been the main diagnosis of Covid-19 because it can detect viruses in the body," he said.
In addition to swab tests, rapid antibody tests are another widely used method for primary Covid-19 screening. However, Anton mentioned that this rapid test has a lower accuracy than the swab test. It is because only new can detect antibodies in the body, not the presence of the coronavirus.
Author: Ika
Photo: Shutterstock.com
Translator: Natasa A