There are increasing signs that Covid 19 disease does not come and go easily. On the contrary: patients report about long-lasting breathing and lung problems – which doctors also confirm.
Pathological changes in the lungs can still be seen a month after recovery. In the opinion of Professor Jürgen Behr, pulmonologist at the Großhadern Clinic, they completely regress. The situation is different for corona intensive care patients. Anyone who has had severe pneumonia, was in the intensive care unit and had to be ventilated and patients with previous diseases of the lungs can also suffer permanent damage.
Damage to the blood vessels
Another characteristic of SARS-CoV-2 is also tricky. The virus can affect even the slightest course Damage blood vesselsso that blood clots form faster. This increases the risk of developing thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or a heart or stroke even months later.
Virologist Ulrike Protzer from the Technical University of Munich explains the reason: “The whole thing is probably due to damage to the endothelium that lines the vessels due to the virus. This then means that the platelets accumulate there to repair the damage , and if there is an overreaction, such thrombosis can develop. ”
It is probably inflammatory processes that ultimately lead to blockages in the blood vessels. How long they last is not yet clear. Some patients report long-lasting circulatory problems, others report real ones States of exhaustion months after their recovery.
Neurological disorders – from headache to paralysis
The nervous system is also affected. This manifests itself in headaches, from which around a quarter of those affected suffer. A majority of infected people complain decreased sense of smell and tastethat can last for months. Paralysis can also occur and then disappear. All of these cases are neurological disorders, i.e. failures of the nervous system.
Matthias Klein, Professor of Neurology at the University Clinic in Großhadern, explains what happens when viruses enter the nervous system:
“What you see is that many viruses can also cause secondary damage in the sense of an inflammatory reaction, which is then directed against the brain, but can also be directed against the peripheral nervous system.”
Direct attacks of the pathogen on the brain, such as that from the TBE viruses knows, but is rare, so reassures Matthias Klein: “In patients where the nerve water has been examined, there is almost no virus evidence in the nerve water – so here is a very positive result, if you like.”
No all-clear, further studies on long-term corona effects
After a new one Study by researchers from the University of Liverpool in the UK By mid-May, over 900 cases of neurological complications were known worldwide. These include over a hundred serious diseases such as meningitis or the so-called Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which sufferers suffer from paralysis. Every case is tragic – but given the millions of infected people, they are individual cases. The pathogen very rarely nests in the nervous system.
For this reason, Professor Jürgen Behr does not share the warning of some researchers that the virus can cause brain damage even in the slightest course. In his view, this is rather hypothetical. However, it was still too early for a final assessment. That is why the Großhadern Clinic has set up a contact point for patients with mild Covid 19 gradients in order to keep an eye on these patients.
“As with any disease that is new and that we have not yet understood enough, you have to take a good look at what will happen in the next few months and years. At the moment, you can’t really estimate that.” Matthias Klein, professor of neurology at Munich University Hospital Großhadern
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