Moscow: SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, can not only damage important red blood cells, but also prevent the formation of new ones, according to a new study.
In the study published in the journal Archiv EuroMedica, researchers from Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in Russia, together with their Japanese colleagues, examined how the influence of Covid-19 on red blood cells, so-called erythrocytes, affects patients.
Erythrocytes are red blood cells that are responsible in the body for transporting the iron-rich protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen.
The loss of red blood cells can damage brain neurons, blood vessels, and internals because they are not receiving enough oxygen.
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In the most severe cases, multiple organ failure can occur, and without their own red blood cells, the patient begins to suffocate.
Artificial ventilation does not help in such a scenario as there is no one to carry oxygen in the body.
An effective therapy for such patients is the administration of red cell mass and vitamin B12, the research says.
The early breakdown of red blood cells is the body’s first reaction to the SARS-COV-2 virus, which gradually increases, the study said.
The patient can learn about the pathology by feeling the taste of iron. This is because hemoglobin, which is released from erythrocytes in the bloodstream, ends up in saliva.
According to scientists, anyone who has low hemoglobin levels is at risk.
These are the elderly, patients with high blood pressure, people with obesity and diabetes mellitus, pregnant women, patients with primary and acquired immunodeficiency with inhibition of haematopoietic function, HIV and cancer patients.
“The virus gets into the epithelium, where it multiplies, then enters the bloodstream and attacks targets that can be both the internal epithelium (gastrointestinal tract, lungs, urogenital system) and erythrocytes” explained Galina Reva, professor at Far Eastern Federal University.
“Although we would most often see the pathology of the respiratory system and the lungs, the virus only needs epithelial cells to reproduce.
“We believe the virus’ main target is the red marrow, where it damages the endothelium, the tissue that normally regulates the migration of maturing cells into the blood,” said Reva.
As part of the investigation, the scientists analyzed the results of their own studies on lung samples from 79 patients who died of Covid-19. In the control group, there were 14 patients who accidentally died.
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