MEDICAL INSIDER
DR. BRYAN CEPEDOZA
JUNE 25, 2023
A REPRINT
How Covid Can Affect our Vital Organs
(Editor’s Note: Due to a request, we are republishing this article today.)
It is not well known but Coronavirus disease (Covid) infection can cause huge
impact on the health of our vital organs.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the reason of Covid, may also cause a heart
attack. The virus is known to have the ability to invade the heart via the
myocardium (heart muscles) causing myocarditis or inflammation of heart
which would lead to irregular heart beat and sudden death. This is why some
physicians opt for getting real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on
patients who die without showing classic Covid symptoms such as respiratory
infection or fever.
Covid may also cause stroke. The virus that causes stroke may send a
patient into a hypercoagulable state. It means that your blood can clot anytime.
Blood clots can travel to any blood vessel. If it travels to your brain and clogs
the brain’s artery, it causes cardiovascular disease (CVD) infarct or stroke. The
severity of stroke would depend on the number of blood vessels involved and
the size of blood clots.
The size of blood clots and the number of blood vessels involved are directly
proportional to the severity of stroke. Blood clots can also travel to the lung’s
artery causing pulmonary embolism and sudden death. This is another reason
physicians will request for RT-PCR test for a patient who dies suddenly,
especially without presenting any classical symptoms of Covid infection.
The kidney could also affected by Covid. A patient with Covid may suffer
from acute kidney disease (AKI). The symptoms include having blood in the
urine or an increased level of protein in the urine.This complication is due to the
release of excessive immune cytokines causing collateral damage to the
kidney. Another cause of AKI is the direct viral toxicity to the kidney cells.
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Some AKIs are so severe that some patients will require dialysis in order to
survive. Dialysis will serve as their temporary kidney while waiting for their AKI
to subside.
Covid can also go as far as impacting muscles and bones. The virus may
enter the bone and muscle cells causing inflammation and apoptosis (cell
death) leading to decreased bone and muscle mass. The virus also releases
inflammatory substances that prevent protein synthesis needed in the repair of
bones and muscles. This is the reason patients with severe and critical Covid
complain of general weakness months or even years after recovering from the
disease.
These are just some dreaded extra-pulmonary manifestations of Covid which is
not generally known by the public.
So it is really better to be informed.