COVID-19 has appeared as a massive challenge for the entire world. Every day, scientists have been studying something or other about the COVID-19 causing the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Among the additional effects of the deadly virus, scientists suspect that it may lead to blood clots in some people. The infectious virus is doubted to cause significant blood clots in COVID-19 patients and those who are otherwise asymptomatic. These blood clots can be lethal if left untreated.
According to a new study published in the journal Blood, the antibodies injected into the body may trigger excessive platelets activity in the lungs resulting in inflammation and blood clotting in severe diseases, particularly in COVID-19 patients. Platelets are small, colourless cell fragments in our blood that form clots and prevent bleeding; their dysfunctionality may lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Researchers took antibodies produced to fight the coronavirus’s spike protein from severely infected Covid-19 patients and cloned them in a laboratory to study. The research study found that the small sugars found on the surface of these antibodies were different from antibodies from healthy people. The researchers observed increased platelet activity when those cloned antibodies were introduced in a lab to blood cells taken from healthy donors.
The research study also found that it was possible to stop or prevent the platelets from responding in such a manner. In the laboratory, the blood can be treated with active elements from several medications. These medications are known to either inhibit platelet function or immunological responses. The study suggests that the drugs presently used for the treatment of immune system dysfunction may be able to stop or prevent excessive platelet activity.
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