An iron taste in the mouth may indicate an unfavorable course of COVID-19. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the Far Eastern Federal University, who, together with colleagues from scientific centers in Russia and Japan, studied the mechanism of the effect of a new infection on erythrocytes. The scientists published the research results in the German medical journal Archiv EuroMedica, writes “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” on Friday.
“The key target for the virus is erythrocytes, red blood cells, which are responsible in the body for the transport of the iron-rich protein hemoglobin and associated oxygen,” the scientists cited. “Dead erythrocytes can cause damage to neurons in the brain, blood vessels and internal organs, which no longer have enough oxygen … In severe cases, multiple organ failure (organ failure) can occur, a person actually remains without his own red blood cells and begins to suffocate. Ventilators do not help because there is no one to transport oxygen. For more effective therapy of such patients, it is necessary to inject erythrocyte mass and vitamin B12, ”the message says.
At the same time, the researchers cited a symptom that may indicate an unfavorable development of the disease. “Premature breakdown of red blood cells is the primary response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which gradually becomes cascading. The patient can learn about the pathology by feeling the taste of iron, since hemoglobin released from erythrocytes in the bloodstream is excreted in saliva, ”the text says.
At risk are people with low hemoglobin levels – the elderly, hypertensive patients, obesity and diabetes mellitus, pregnant women, as well as patients with primary and acquired immunodeficiency, with inhibition of hematopoiesis, HIV-infected and cancer patients.
According to scientists, the most obvious manifestation of COVID-19 is pulmonary fibrosis, but similar phenomena can occur in the tissues of the liver, spleen, kidneys, pancreas and thyroid gland. “Sometimes local changes take the form of a large fibrous formation – tumor-like. Pathology is very dangerous, since clinical signs may appear when these irreversible processes occupy a significant volume of the organ, ”the authors of the study clarify.
In the work, scientists studied lung samples from 79 deceased patients with COVID-19 with confirmation of the diagnosis using PCR testing. The control group consisted of 14 victims of injuries incompatible with life.
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