There are chances that people who have suffered through long Covid may have hidden lung damage, a UK-based study suggests. Supported by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, the study included 36 patients. It further explains why some people experience breathlessness even after their initial infection.
It has been concluded that there is massively affected gas transfer from the lungs to the bloodstream for long Covid patients.
Tests like CT scans are unable to detect this and they show normal results.
Dr Emily Fraser, a consultant at Oxford University Hospital, also a co-author of the study, in a report by The Guardian said, “It is the first study to demonstrate lung abnormalities in [people with long Covid] who are breathless and where other investigations are unremarkable.”
She further added, “It does suggest the virus is causing some kind of persistent abnormality within the microstructure of the lungs or in the pulmonary vasculature.”
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As per clinical senior lecturer, Claire Steves, the study would be of significant interest to people going through long-term breathlessness after Covid.
As per an op-ed, which was recently published, Resia Pretorius, the head of the science department at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, wrote, “A recent investigation in my lab found that there is significant microclot formation in the blood of both acute Covid and long Covid patients.”
She discovered a correlation between microclots and lengthy Covid, which she believes is a critical step toward better understanding the disease that affects 100 million people worldwide.
Resia Pretorius and her team discovered large quantities of inflammatory chemicals “locked” in the persistent micro clots seen in extended Covid patients during the summer.
(With inputs from agencies)
