Published
Catching the Covid multiplies the chances of serious consequences for the lungs, such as pulmonary embolism, according to Swiss and Swedish studies.
Two new studies show that a Covid-19 infection increases the risk of developing blood clots which can lead to serious health problems, even several months following contracting the virus. Research by Swedish scientists published this week in the journal «Bjm» come to the conclusion that infected people still had a 33 times higher risk of pulmonary embolism six months following infection.
The risk of deep vein thrombosis is also multiplied by five up to three months following infection. People suffering from a severe form of Covid or with a medical history are particularly at risk. But the risk of pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis is also higher in people with mild illnesses that do not require hospitalization.
Irreversible tissue damage
It was already known that a Covid-19 infection increased the risk of blood clots. What is new is knowing how long this risk persists. For this study, researchers analyzed data from one million people in Sweden who tested positive between February 2020 and May 2021. These were compared with data from four million non-positive individuals.
In the other study, doctors from the University Hospital of Zurich report in the specialist journal «Annals of Medicine» of an “ignored” and “new” form of pulmonary fibrosis in recovered patients. The team found a form of the disease called post-Covid pulmonary fibrosis in people who had admittedly been hospitalized, but had not had to be ventilated and had not suffered lung failure.
Those affected would have shown greater loss of breathing capacity than the most severely affected patients and higher levels of inflammation during laboratory examinations. In addition, the examinations showed in these patients tissue changes in the lungs, indicating irreversible damage to the lung tissue.
René Hage, chief physician at the Pneumology Clinic of the University of Zurich, specifies that the tissue changes did not appear in the patients concerned until four to twelve weeks following the infection. The doctor therefore recommends greater monitoring of these cured people with symptoms.
(fee / jba)