A study reveals Coronavirus infects virtually every organ in the human body
Covid-19 also affects brain, heart and kidney cells
20/05/2020 08:30h
|
As the weeks go by, we get to know new things about coronavirus. A study carried out by doctors at the University Hospital of Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, that is also published in The New England Journal of Medicine, concludes that Covid-19 is a multi-organ disease.
This means that it does not only infects the cells of the pharynx and lungs but also those of the heart, liver, kidneys, brain and blood.
The research has been carried out thanks to the analysis of the autopsy of 27 dead patients in Germany. The study of the corpses allows a detailed analysis of the tissues damaged by the virus unlike in the case of hospitalised patients. The results indicate that when the coronavirus affects all organs, it is not only due to an excessive reaction of the immune system but also due to the direct damage caused by the virus to vital organs.
Antivirals can improve the treatment of patients
One of the main conclusions that can be drawn from the study is that antivirals can improve the treatment of patients suffering from serious complications. A new fact to consider in order to advance in the study of Covid-19 and in the aim of finding a vaccine. Since its detection, coronavirus has shown all kinds of symptoms in its patients, which makes it really complicated for doctors.
The doctors who have carried out the study have found traces of the virus in seven different organs. Specifically, they have detected coronaviruses in the lungs of all patients and in 80% of the pharynx and 77% of the heart and liver. They are followed by the kidneys with 62% and to a lesser extent the brain (38%) and the blood (36%). In fact, in every organ where they looked for the virus, it was found.
According to the researchers, the study provides "a potential explanation for the clinical signs of kidney damage that often occur in patients with Covid-19, including non-critical patients", in reference to the fact that a high percentage of those admitted to the ICU need dialysis.
[This is a translation of the original article "Un estudio revela que el coronavirus infecta prácticamente todos los órganos del cuerpo humano" published in espanadiario.net]
