A new study has found that Covid-19 causes important changes in the blood vessels of the lungs. The abnormalities in the lungs show that the virus does much more damage than a normal flu virus.
The researchers studied the damage to the network of blood vessels in the lungs of Covid-19 patients. They compared those findings with the changes caused by a common flu virus (influenza).
Smallest blood vessels damaged
In covid-19, there were very clear and unique blood vessel abnormalities in the lungs. The smallest blood vessels in the lungs (the capillaries) were severely damaged and contained many blood clots. The virus had also affected the walls of those blood vessels. With a normal flu virus, there were far fewer blood vessel abnormalities in the lungs.
New blood vessels
The researchers also discovered that numerous new blood vessels formed (angiogenesis) as a result of Covid-19. This became clear with the help of advanced imaging techniques and molecular research. In addition, it was found that Covid-19 causes a specific type of inflammatory process in the lungs, different from the inflammation caused by influenza.
dr. Stijn Verleden: “With this research we prove that the damage to blood vessels in the lung plays a major role in respiratory failure and the unique clinical picture in Covid-19. This offers important new insights for the development of innovative therapies, which specifically are aimed at preventing or curing these blood vessel abnormalities.”
The research is the result of a worldwide international collaboration of research groups in Germany (Hannover, Mainz), Belgium (Leuven), Switzerland (Basel) and the United States (Cambridge, Harvard). The results of this study were recently published in the journal ‘The New England Journal Of Medicine’.
Sources):
- Plus Magazine Belgium
