According to a study published on Wednesday, inflammation and blood clotting seen in very severe cases of COVID-19 may be caused by antibodies sent to fight the disease triggering unnecessary platelet activity in the lungs.
The study, which was published in the journal Blood, demonstrates how antibodies produced by our bodies to protect against COVID 19 activate platelet function, potentially leading to fatal blood clots in patients with severe disease. Platelets are small blood cells that form clots to stop or prevent bleeding. However, abnormal platelet function can lead to serious health problems like strokes and heart attacks.
‘Until now, we have only had assumptions about why platelets involved in clotting were being activated during COVID-19 infection,’ said Professor Jon Gibbins, from the University of Reading in the UK.
‘The antibodies that are produced to stop COVID-19 from spreading trigger infected cells to induce platelet activity which causes clotting even though there is no wound that needs healing,’ Gibbins said.
The researchers discovered that the small sugars on the surface of these antibodies were not the same as those found on healthy people’s antibodies.
There was an increase in platelet activity when they used those cloned antibodies in a lab with blood cells from healthy donors.
According to the findings, drugs currently used to treat immune system problems may be able to reduce or prevent cells from developing an exaggerated platelet response.
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