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Not just the lungs and the heart: the infection caused by the new SarsCoV2 coronavirus is a systemic disease that affects the entire body and damages the blood vessels, kidneys, intestines, eyes and brain. The virus, reports the journal Science on its website, acts completely differently compared to any other pathogen known so far.
The new coronavirus begins its journey into the human body by entering the throat, eyes, and nose; The surface of the cells inside the nose is rich in the Ace2 receptor, being the main door that the virus uses to invade human cells, where it multiplies.
Once the virus has begun to send its copies to human cells, the infected person can spread it by remaining asymptomatic or starting to have fever, dry cough, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, muscles, and headache.
If at this early stage the immune system cannot repel the virus, it can start attacking the lungs causing pneumonia; In some cases, the situation may suddenly worsen with acute respiratory distress syndrome, where the level of oxygen in the blood decreases rapidly and breathing becomes increasingly difficult, which often leads to death.
The 3 routes of entry of the SarsCoV2 virus and the main target organs
This course of the virus is believed to be driven by a hyperreaction of the immune system, called a “cytokine storm,” that is, molecules that guide the healthy immune response, but in this case they do more than good because they begin to attack healthy cells. Blood vessels deteriorate, blood pressure drops, clots form, and the body can fail.
Not even the blood vessels and heart were spared, as evidenced by the case of a Brescia woman hospitalized with classic symptoms of a heart attack, caused by Covid-19. Coagulation problems and arrhythmias occur. Ischemia in the fingers and toes, pain and tissue necrosis have also been reported.
The virus’s ability to attack blood vessels would explain why people who have already had cardiovascular problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, are at higher risk.
The new coronavirus can attack the intestine, where Ace2 receptors abound, and the liver; It can also damage the kidneys and brain, as seen in encephalitis, epileptic seizures, loss of consciousness and smell, and stroke in people with Covid-19.
Source: Ansa / Translation Cătălina Păunel (Rador)
