Severe Lung Damage Might Be The Cause Behind Long COVID Syndrome In COVID19 Patients

Many people have been dealing with the long-term symptoms of the COVID19, even after recovery. This might be due to a syndrome called long COVID. Experts have led a study on people who have lost their lives due to COVID19 to find out the reason behind this condition. Experts have been able to find persistent and extensive lung damage in the corpse of COVID19 patients. It shows that these patients might have been suffering from long COVID syndrome. They have identified some unique traits of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well, which might explain why it causes such harm to infected people. This study has been conducted by scientists from King’s College London.

The lead author of the study Mauro Giacca has said that COVID19 is not just an ailment, which is caused by the death of infected cells rather it is a result of these infected cells staying for a long time inside the lungs. The team of experts has observed the samples of tissue from the lungs, kidneys, heart, and liver from 41 patients who have lost their lives while fighting COVID19. This study has been continuing from February to April 2020. Although scientists have found no evident signs of viral infection and extended inflammation in other organs, however, they have been able to identify huge damage in the structure of the lungs. They have seen that the scarred tissues have totally replaced healthy tissues of the lungs. It explains why some people deal with long COVID, as there is huge damage in the lung tissues.

Many studies have suggested that some people, who have recovered from COVID19, might experience ongoing symptoms of the disease such as fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, and brain fog for a long time. Such a condition is often termed as long COVID. The lead author of the study has found some unique characteristics of the virus in nearly 90 percent of 41 patients, which are not found in other forms of pneumonia. First, there has been vast blood clotting in the lungs, arteries, and veins of these patients. Some of the patients have been found with abnormally large cells, which have many nuclei. They have as well found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been still there in many other cells. This study has been published in the journal Lancet eBioMedicine.