Inflammation and blood clot issues seen in serious Covid cases may have been caused by the antibodies formed to fight the disease-inducing unnecessary platelet activity in the lungs.
Fever, body ache, fatigue, cough and cold are some common symptoms of mild Coronavirus infection, whereas shortness of breath and need for oxygen is usually required by patients who report severity.
The study published in the journal, ‘Blood’ on Wednesday, said that high functioning platelets can result in deadly blood clots, yet the antibodies can protect the body against the virus as they are activating increased capacity of platelets, this may cause fatal blood clots in patients with serious conditions.
A team of researchers including those from Imperial College London in the UK, who conducted the study, believe that an exaggerated platelet response can be prevented by drugs that are currently used to treat immune system problems
The researchers, including those from the Imperial College London in the UK, have discovered that reducing or stopping the platelets from responding by drugs that are currently in use to treat immune system issues.
Platelets are small cells present in the blood that cause clots to stop bleeding, however, unnatural platelet functioning can cause serious health conditions like strokes and stroke attacks.
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Professor Jon Gibbins, from the University of Reading in the UK, stated, "Until now, we have only had assumptions about why platelets involved in clotting were being activated during COVID-19 infection.”
"The antibodies that are produced to stop COVID-19 from spreading trigger infected cells to induce platelet activity which causes clotting even though there is no wound that needs healing," Mr Gibbins added.
For the study, the researchers obtained antibodies that were built in patients having severe Covid infection symptoms to battle the Coronavirus spike protein. These antibodies were then replicated in a laboratory. This spike protein encourages the SARS-COV-2 virus to infect and pass into the human cells.
It has been found by the researchers that tiny sugars were seen on the surface of these obtained antibodies and they were completely different from those found in healthy persons.
After these healthy antibodies were introduced with that of the cloned antibodies in a lab to the blood cells, it was witnessed that there was a growth in platelet activity.
This examination by the Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are already testing these medicines in the clinical trials on the patients admitted to hospitals across the United Kingdom, to observe if it can diminish the serious clotting issues for hospitalised Covid positive patients.
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The researchers added that this study on platelets in the laboratory could demonstrate the crucial mechanism that will describe how and why fatal blood clots may develop in severely sick Covid patients. The study will also provide important evidence or ideas as to how this can be deterred.