Post-Covid autopsies confirm some gloom suspicions
It is well known that Covid 19 is defined as a respiratory infection. However, the effects of the new coronavirus are not limited to one organ.
Source: hayat.ba
Post-Covid autopsies performed on those who died from this virus indicate its existence throughout the body, including the lungs, heart, spleen, kidneys, liver, colon, chest, muscles, nerves, reproductive tract, and eye, but also the brain, Science Alert reported.
In one of the cases, remnants of the new coronavirus were found in the brain of a deceased patient 230 days after the person first started experiencing symptoms.
"Our data show that in some patients Covid can cause a systemic infection and grow in the body for months", the authors of the study concluded. The study was led by researchers from the National Institutes of Health of the United States (NIH).
Genetic information
As recently as July 2020, autopsies showed evidence of blood clots in almost all vital organs of those who contracted Covid. New NIH research now replicates and confirms those results in more detail than ever before.
The study included 44 autopsies. The researchers carefully detected and quantified the level of RNA from Covid in 85 locations and fluids. This genetic information indicates where the virus may have reproduced during a person's lifetime.
In autopsies performed from April 2020 to March 2021, researchers found that elderly, unvaccinated people who died of Covid showed abundant signs of corona replication in a total of 79 locations and body fluids.
Whole tissue
Some of the changes were evident within two weeks after the first symptoms began to appear.
The lungs showed the most inflammation and injury.
"Our results show that the virus can spread throughout the body. However, the highest burden of Covid is in the respiratory tissues," the researchers conclude.
Antiviral drugs could help the human immune system clear viral cells from tissues, organs, and fluids that would otherwise be hard to reach. They may also help reduce long-term symptoms.
