Sumedha Guha, Techno India University
In a recent study conducted on lung samples obtained from 79 patients who died of COVID-19, researchers from the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia discovered the SARS-CoV-2 virus can not only damage red blood cells (RBCs) but also prevent the new formation of key red blood cells (namely, Erythrocytes).
Based on initial studies, the team of researchers along with their colleagues in Japan have revealed they are assuming the main target for the virus is the red bone marrow. Here it damages the endothelium – the tissue which in healthy individuals regulates the migration of matured erythrocytes into the bloodstream. They added that the early breakdown of RBCs is the initial reaction of the body against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This breakdown scales up gradually. The patient may notice a taste of iron in their mouths. This occurs because the Haemoglobin pigment that is carried by the erythrocytes gets released from the damaged red blood cell and into the saliva.
The loss of erythrocytes would gradually lead to damage to blood vessels, internal organs, and neuronal networks in the brain due to a lack in supply of arterial oxygen to them. In severe cases, multiple organ failure is also a grave possibility.
All people with low Haemoglobin are at risk of developing these complications. This includes elderly people above the age of 60, people having high blood pressure, obese individuals, diabetes patients, pregnant women, primary and acquired immunodeficiency patients, HIV and cancer patients.
In this scenario, artificial ventilation is not a solution, as the transporter of oxygen in the body, the Haemoglobin pigment (inside the erythrocytes) is getting degraded due to damage of erythrocytes.
The researchers have concluded that effective therapy options for such patients include administration of Vitamin B12 and erythrocyte mass.
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