Helios Neo - Tegelen - bij Venlo - Noord Limburg | Lasertherapie als ondersteuning bij luchtweginfecties

Laser therapy as support for respiratory tract infections – Covid 19

9/11/2025

Here you can see the use of the MLS-M6 laser to support recovery after pneumonia.

In addition to regular care, antibiotics and prednisone, this patient also underwent laser therapy – PBMT (photo bio modulation therapy).

An article (Sigman SA, Mokmeli S, Vetrici MA. Adjunct low level laser therapy (LLLT) in a morbidly obese patient with severe COVID-19 pneumonia) describes a remarkable case in which laser therapy, also known as photobiomodulation (PBMT), was used as a complementary treatment for a patient with severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

This case concerns a 32-year-old woman with morbid obesity who received four sessions in addition to standard medical treatment. During the therapy, a laser scanner was used to treat the lung area at the back of the chest with pulsed light of 808 nm and 905 nm, each time for 28 minutes.

The results were remarkable. Oxygen saturation rose from 88–93% to 97–99%. Oxygen requirements fell from 5–6 litres to 1–3 litres. Images of the lungs showed a clear improvement, and inflammatory markers such as IL-6, ferritin and CRP decreased.

According to the authors, this indicates that laser therapy can help regulate inflammatory responses and support the recovery of lung tissue. The treatment is also non-invasive and was used alongside regular care, suggesting that it can safely serve as a complementary method.

However, caution is advised: this is a single case report, which means that the findings are not automatically applicable to other patients. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm how effective and safe this method is for various conditions.

Mariana A Vetrici and her colleagues also published an article in March 2021 on the effect of laser therapy (Vetrici MA, Mokmeli S, Bohm AR, Monici M, Sigman SA. Evaluation of Adjunctive Photobiomodulation (PBMT) for COVID-19 Pneumonia via Clinical Status and Pulmonary Severity Indices in a Preliminary Trial). This was used as a supplementary treatment for pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

In the image above, which can be found in the article, the effect of PBMT is demonstrated. PBMT (LLLT) reduces the number of activated macrophages, leading to a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines. Reduced expression of P2X7r causes a further reduction in inflammatory mediators, while the production of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 increases and the healing process is promoted.

We have been using laser therapy in our practice for many years: LLLT-HILT photobiomodulation. This therapy fits in with our vision of supportive, natural treatment methods that stimulate the body's self-healing capacity.

Would you like to know more about how laser therapy works, or discuss whether this form of treatment is suitable for you? Please feel free to contact us for a personal consultation.