A new study of patients who died as a result of Corona sheds light on the potential lung damage caused by the new virus, while it could explain why some patients suffer from lung problems caused by the Corona virus for long periods.
A recent study, according to the “thehealthsite” report, revealed the unique characteristics of the Corona virus, and may explain why patients suffer fromCOVID Long “and experience the effects of the disease for months with a feeling of fatigue and shortness of breath.
Why do Corona patients suffer from long-term symptoms–
Widespread blood clotting in the lungs
To dig deeper, researchers led King’s College London By analyzing the organs of 41 patients who died of COVID-19 At Trieste University Hospital in Italy, the team took lung, heart, liver and kidney samples to check the behavior of the virus.
The results showed significant lung damage in most cases, as the patients experienced a profound disruption of the normal lung structure and the transformation of respiratory tissues into fibrous matter.
Nearly 90% of patients showed two additional properties completely unique to COVID-19 Compared to other forms of pneumonia:
-
First, the patients showed extensive blood clotting in the arteries and veins of the lung (thrombosis).
-
Second, many lung cells were abnormally large and contain many scars, resulting from the fusion of different cells into large single cells.
This formation of the fused cells is due to the viral spiny protein, which the virus uses to enter the cell.
Speaking of how the virus affects the lungs, the research revealed that when the protein is present on the surface of cells infected with a virus COVID-19 , It stimulates their fusion with other normal lung cells, which may cause inflammation and clotting.
In addition, the research showed long-term persistence of the viral genome in cells of the respiratory system, and in cells lining blood vessels, along with the affected cell.
The presence of these infected cells can cause significant structural changes observed in the lungs, which can last for several weeks or months and may ultimately explain “long-term Covid disease”. The study did not find any overt signs of viral infection or long-term inflammation that was discovered in Other members.
Speaking about the results of the study, Professor Mauro Giacca of the British Heart Foundation Center at Kings College London said that the results indicated that the Corona virus or COVID-19 Not just a disease caused by the death of cells infected with the virus, but it is likely the result of these abnormal cells that persist for long periods inside the lungs.
The team is now testing the effect of these abnormal cells on blood clotting and inflammation, and is looking for new drugs that can block the viral prickly protein that causes the cells to fuse.
– .
