A predictive metabolic model for the COVID-19 infection has been developed by some scientists. This shows that the virus has effects on multiple organs. The scientists from the University of Cambridge, UK, and Murdoch University, Australia, collected the specimens of blood plasma from a group of patients who were positive with the COVID-19 infection.
These samples were matched with samples of a group of healthy body mass and age to determine the differences in key metabolism between the groups.
The samples revealed a fingerprint of the biological nature that was profound that includes different elements like dyslipidemia, liver dysfunction, coronary heart disease, and diabetes risk.
All of these have been found to be related to the effects of the Coronavirus on a long-term basis.
Systemic changes are marked by these fingerprints in biochemistry. These are irrespective of the collection time during the process of the active disease. This is also independent of the severity of the respiratory symptoms.
The most important observation made was that this disease involved multiple organs and most of the patients show the signs of new diabetes and also liver damage not connected to the severity of the lung symptoms.
Lungs are the Ground Zero:
Besides the lungs, this COVID-19 infection can affect the blood vessels, heart, gut, kidneys, and also the brain. This virus enters the cells by binding to the receptors. These receptors are the entry site and are found in multiple cells in different organs. This makes the entry of the virus easy.
Tiny air sacs present in the lungs, known as alveoli, is responsible for exchanging oxygen between the lungs and the blood vessels. These sacs are rich in ACE2 receptors. When the virus enters these cells, the immune system goes all the way for battling this virus. This causes a disruption to the transfer of oxygen and leads to breathing difficulty.
After the lungs, this virus affects the heart. The disruption caused extends to the blood and leads to blood clots. With this breaking, there are chances of brain damage. There is a possibility of blood vessel constriction with this infection. This attack of the blood vessels by the virus makes patients with diabetes and high blood pressure at a higher risk.
Kidneys affected by the Virus:
Due to a reduced supply of blood to the kidneys, these also get affected. Some patients can also suffer from problems that are neurological in nature. This could be a stroke, symptoms of a seizure, or even depression of the reflex of the brain stem.
There is a possibility of encephalitis or meningitis in rare cases.
Thus deciding on which patients need hospitalization and which need ICU care totally depends on how the body can strike down the virus after infection.
The devastation of COVID-19 is, at present, only a sketch. Many years of research can give you a clear picture of what this virus can do to a human body. Till then, you need to take all the care and follow the guidelines issued by the government strictly.
