Why Covid patients suffer from fatigue and shortness of breath

London, November 4th (SocialNews.XYZ) A new study of deceased patients sheds light on lung damage that can be caused by the new coronavirus, explaining why some patients are suffering from long Covid-induced lung problems. It was.

This study shows the unique characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and may explain why patients suffer from “long COVID” and experience the effects of the disease for months, feeling tired and short of breath. not.

To dig deeper, researchers led by King’s College London analyzed the organs of 41 patients who died of Covid-19 at the Trieste University Hospital in Italy.

The team took samples of the lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys to examine the behavior of the virus.

The findings showed extensive lung damage, most often with patients experiencing severe destruction of normal lung structure and conversion of respiratory tissue to fibrous material.

Almost 90% of patients showed two additional features that are very specific to Covid-19 compared to other forms of pneumonia.

Initially, the patient showed extensive blood clots (thrombosis) in the pulmonary arteries and veins.

Second, some lung cells were abnormally large and had many nuclei. This is the result of different cells fusing into a single large cell.

The formation of this fusion cell (syncytium) is due to the viral spike protein that the virus uses to invade the cell.

“If the protein is present on the surface of cells infected with the Covid-19 virus, it can stimulate fusion with other normal lung cells and cause inflammation and thrombosis,” the authors say. I am writing in a paper published in. eBioMedicine was created by King’s College London in collaboration with the University of Trieste and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biology in Italy.

In addition, studies have shown long-term persistence of the viral genome in respiratory cells and cells lining blood vessels, as well as syncytium of infected cells.

The presence of these infected cells can cause the major structural changes observed in the lungs, which can last for weeks or months and ultimately explain the “long covid”. there is.

The study did not detect any obvious signs of viral infection or long-term inflammation in other organs.

“Study results show that Covid-19 is more likely to be the result of these abnormal cells lasting longer in the lungs, not just a disease caused by the death of virus-infected cells,” the UK said. Professor Mauro Jacka of the Heart Foundation Center said. At King’s College London.

The team is currently actively testing the effects of these abnormal cells on blood clotting and inflammation, looking for new drugs that can block the viral spike proteins that cause cell fusion.

Source: IANS

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