Lung Tissues Of Deceased COVID-19 Patients Provide Treatment Clues - Health Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2021) Lung autopsies and blood plasma samples from patients who died from COVID-19 show that as the disease progresses, lungs lose their ability to repair damaged tissues, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Wednesday.

"Although the study was small - lung samples from 18 cases and plasma samples from six of those cases - the scientists say their data revealed trends that could help develop new COVID-19 therapeutics and fine-tune when to use existing therapeutics at different stages of disease progression," a NIHpress release explaining the study said.

The findings include details about how the coronavirus spreads in the lungs, manipulates the immune system, causes widespread blood clots that do not resolve and targets signaling pathways that promote lung failure, as well as thickening and scaring of tissue.

In addition the disease impairs the ability of lungs to repair damaged tissue, the release said.

Researchers say the data are particularly relevant to caring for COVID-19 patients who are elderly, obese, or have diabetes - all considered high-risk populations for severe cases. Study samples were from patients who had at least one high-risk condition, the release added.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, according to the release.