What do people mean when they refer to COVID-19 as being a blood vessel disease?
What do people mean when they refer to COVID-19 as being a blood vessel disease?
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Patients who have been infected with COVID-19 can sometimes develop severe symptoms. Some of these symptoms include things like blood clots, heart problems, and "COVID toes." One thing all of these issues have in common is their link to blood vessels, which are the tubes that deliver blood and oxygen throughout the body. When these tubes, and the cells that line the insides of the tubes (endothelial cells), have challenges carrying and spreading blood to organs and tissues, issues like blood clots, kidney damage, inflammation of the heart and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) can occur in patients. This is why some doctors are calling the virus a "vasculotropic" virus (virus that affects blood vessels). More research is needed to present such findings conclusively. Though COVID-19 was originally thought to be a respiratory illness, some researchers believe that the virus may be able to move from the lungs into the blood vessels (pulmonary system), often causing additional symptoms such as the ones mentioned above. While some patients have been impacted by blood vessel-related symptoms, more research is still needed to determine its exact impacts on the body and its organs. At this point in time, blood clots due appear to be a major cause of negative health outcomes in patients with severe cases of COVID-19, bringing heightened awareness to the potential involvement of blood vessels and blood flow as an effect of the virus.
Patients who have been infected with COVID-19 can sometimes develop severe symptoms. Some of these symptoms include things like blood clots, heart problems, and "COVID toes." One thing all of these issues have in common is their link to blood vessels, which are the tubes that deliver blood and oxygen throughout the body. When these tubes, and the cells that line the insides of the tubes (endothelial cells), have challenges carrying and spreading blood to organs and tissues, issues like blood clots, kidney damage, inflammation of the heart and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) can occur in patients. This is why some doctors are calling the virus a "vasculotropic" virus (virus that affects blood vessels). More research is needed to present such findings conclusively. Though COVID-19 was originally thought to be a respiratory illness, some researchers believe that the virus may be able to move from the lungs into the blood vessels (pulmonary system), often causing additional symptoms such as the ones mentioned above. While some patients have been impacted by blood vessel-related symptoms, more research is still needed to determine its exact impacts on the body and its organs. At this point in time, blood clots due appear to be a major cause of negative health outcomes in patients with severe cases of COVID-19, bringing heightened awareness to the potential involvement of blood vessels and blood flow as an effect of the virus.
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What our experts say
Patients who have been infected with COVID-19 can sometimes develop severe symptoms. Some of these symptoms include things like blood clots, heart problems, and "COVID toes." One thing all of these issues have in common is their link to blood vessels, which are the tubes that deliver blood and oxygen throughout the body. When these tubes, and the cells that line the insides of the tubes (endothelial cells), have challenges carrying and spreading blood to organs and tissues, issues like blood clots, kidney damage, inflammation of the heart and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) can occur in patients. This is why some doctors are calling the virus a "vasculotropic" virus (virus that affects blood vessels). More research is needed to present such findings conclusively.
Though COVID-19 was originally thought to be a respiratory illness, some researchers believe that the virus may be able to move from the lungs into the blood vessels (pulmonary system), often causing additional symptoms such as the ones mentioned above. While some patients have been impacted by blood vessel-related symptoms, more research is still needed to determine its exact impacts on the body and its organs. At this point in time, blood clots due appear to be a major cause of negative health outcomes in patients with severe cases of COVID-19, bringing heightened awareness to the potential involvement of blood vessels and blood flow as an effect of the virus.
Patients who have been infected with COVID-19 can sometimes develop severe symptoms. Some of these symptoms include things like blood clots, heart problems, and "COVID toes." One thing all of these issues have in common is their link to blood vessels, which are the tubes that deliver blood and oxygen throughout the body. When these tubes, and the cells that line the insides of the tubes (endothelial cells), have challenges carrying and spreading blood to organs and tissues, issues like blood clots, kidney damage, inflammation of the heart and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) can occur in patients. This is why some doctors are calling the virus a "vasculotropic" virus (virus that affects blood vessels). More research is needed to present such findings conclusively.
Though COVID-19 was originally thought to be a respiratory illness, some researchers believe that the virus may be able to move from the lungs into the blood vessels (pulmonary system), often causing additional symptoms such as the ones mentioned above. While some patients have been impacted by blood vessel-related symptoms, more research is still needed to determine its exact impacts on the body and its organs. At this point in time, blood clots due appear to be a major cause of negative health outcomes in patients with severe cases of COVID-19, bringing heightened awareness to the potential involvement of blood vessels and blood flow as an effect of the virus.
Context and background
There have been reports of COVID-19 patients experiencing disease symptoms that impact the blood vessels and vascular system, such as blood clots and damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels. The existence of vascular COVID-19 symptoms is particularly relevant to patients with certain pre-existing conditions (like hypertension or cardiovascular disease), where infection can mean increased risks of severe illness, serious complications, or death. It is important to note that COVID-19 symptoms can vary widely from person to person, with many experiencing primarily respiratory symptoms, other types of symptoms, multiple types of symptoms at once, or no symptoms at all.
There have been reports of COVID-19 patients experiencing disease symptoms that impact the blood vessels and vascular system, such as blood clots and damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels. The existence of vascular COVID-19 symptoms is particularly relevant to patients with certain pre-existing conditions (like hypertension or cardiovascular disease), where infection can mean increased risks of severe illness, serious complications, or death. It is important to note that COVID-19 symptoms can vary widely from person to person, with many experiencing primarily respiratory symptoms, other types of symptoms, multiple types of symptoms at once, or no symptoms at all.
Resources
- Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19 (Lancet)
- Pulmonary Vascular Endothelialitis, Thrombosis, and Angiogenesis in Covid-19 (NEJM)
- Doctors race to understand inflammatory condition in kids (Science)
- COVID-19: the vasculature unleashed (Nature)
- COVID-19 and the Heart (American Heart Association)
- Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19 (Lancet)
- Pulmonary Vascular Endothelialitis, Thrombosis, and Angiogenesis in Covid-19 (NEJM)
- Doctors race to understand inflammatory condition in kids (Science)
- COVID-19: the vasculature unleashed (Nature)
- COVID-19 and the Heart (American Heart Association)
