COVID’s long haul symptoms tied to ‘micro clots’

After almost two years of dealing with the pandemic, all of us, including our brightest doctors and scientists are still in the dark about numerous issues around SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

One thing is for certain, though. We’re all ready for it to go away.

But despite declining infection numbers, it’s found a way to hang on…

One of the most confounding mysteries has been the virus’s ability to result in long-term symptoms.

Termed “Long Covid,” people suffering from the condition can experience a wide array of symptoms including:

• Extreme fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Brain fog or problems with memory
• Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
• Joint and muscle pain
• Depression and anxiety
• Tinnitus or ringing in the ears
• Heart palpitations
• Rashes

And weirdly (and a bit frighteningly) the list goes on.

Sadly, recent studies have shown that more people than you might believe end up with these long-term Covid symptoms, for which there’s currently no real treatment.

So what’s behind the unending issues?

Well, studies have linked Long Covid to everything from obesity to an old viral infection and, especially, to blood clots.

And now, it’s that last one making big news.

That’s because researchers from Stellenbosch University have discovered that it might actually be clots inside those clots that are the issue causing the lingering symptoms.

Microscopic clots packed with inflammatory molecules

This discovery was surprisingly just an act of chance.

Professor Resia Pretorius, a researcher in the Department of Physiological Science at the University was simply analyzing blood samples of patients with Long Covid when she realized that the sample was packed with micro clots — tiny clots within the clots.

So of course, as with any good researcher, she began to wonder why and set out to answer that question.

From there she realized that these weren’t your typical blood clot: they were packed with high levels of various inflammatory molecules that were trapped inside.

Two molecules in particular she noted were:

• Fibrinogen – a protein that promotes clotting
• Alpha(2)-antiplasmin – a molecule that prevents the breakdown of blood clots

The problem was in their balance.

You see, under normal conditions, your body maintains a fine balance between blood clotting and clot breakdown.

Yet, what the research team found in these micro clots was that in Long Covid, that balance is tipped way to the dark side, with high levels of inflammatory clotting agents, literally trapped inside — and low levels of molecules to control those clots.

In other words, for people suffering from Long COVID, their body’s ability to break down the clots the disease causes is significantly inhibited.

According to the researchers, these findings provide “further evidence that COVID-19, and now Long COVID, have significant cardiovascular and clotting pathologies.”

Sources:

Inflammatory micro clots in blood of individuals suffering from Long COVID — ScienceDaily

Long-term effects of coronavirus (long COVID) — NHS

How to Keep Blood Healthy & Reduce Risk of Blood Clots — HeartMD Institute

How To Prevent Blood Clots Naturally — Center for Vein Restoration

Why COVID-19 could be causing blood clots—and what you can do to lower your risk — The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center