According to the Greifswald University Medical Center, Greifswald neurologists are researching a new way to combat severe courses of corona infections. They think it is conceivable that damage to the nervous system could be partly responsible for severe breathing difficulties, a spokesman said on Friday. This damage could be triggered by a misdirected immune response in the body. In this case, it would be conceivable to combat the difficult courses in particular by means of already available medications.
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“Breathing difficulties are the greatest danger for the sick,” said neurologist Guglielmo Lucchese. But the actual damage to the lungs would not in all cases explain why the symptoms are so severe and why so many people die from them. This medical phenomenon has been known since March.
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The researchers at the Neurological Clinic have so far found that the viruses have a structure very similar to that of human brain stem cell proteins. It may therefore be that the body’s immune system attacks the central nervous system, at least in some patients. The nerve cells that act as pacemakers for breathing are particularly affected. “Such an immunological mechanism is likely with this damage,” said Lucchese. This thesis must now be checked in infected people.
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If the research team is right, respiratory disorders in severe corona courses could possibly be combated with active substances that act on the immune system. Such drugs have been around for a long time. “So far there has been no reason to use it at Corona,” said Lucchese.
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