Saturday 9 May 2020

COVID-19: Epithelial & Endothelial Attacker

One of the things that cv-19 does is attack epithelial and endothelial cells. These cells are the boundary cells of of the body. They are found in most membranes like the mucus membranes in the lungs and the eyes, the skin, the gut and (here's the important bit) the lining of the Arteries.

In the arteries the endothelial cells do many jobs, but one crucial job is to prevent the formation of blood clots. One of the downsides of artificial devices in the blood supply is the formation of blood clots in the artificial surfaces. Doctors have to prescribe drugs to prevent this.

When COVID-19 attacks arterial endothelial cells, they are damaged so much they lose their non-stick properties and blood clots start to form in the arteries.

In New York a study has shown a significant number of strokes in young people. Here is also evidence of heart attacks in people as well.

In fact sadly the wife of one of my old mates from up North has died suddenly this weekend. After having a cough.

There was a report of a nurse being found dead at home as well.

Along with the vitamin D I recommended before, it may be prudent to take half an asprin if you can to help prevent blood clots.

I'm already on blood thinning tablets, so just vitamin D for me.

But it's interesting that the varied symptoms of COVID-19 seems to point to it attacking epithelial and endothelial cells through the ace2 receptor mechanism, which is common to most if not all of both  types of cells.

UPDATE.

The list of where in the body Epithelial and Endothelial cells reside is quite interesting. I've already mentioned the lungs, skin, eyes, gut, arteries, etc. But they also reside in the brain, the joints, in hair follicles and lots of other places where there needs to be a barrier of some sort.

The list of side-effects from COVID-19 infection seems to track well with the above, including neurological effects.

There's no way to say it, but COVID-19 is a really nasty virus if it gets into the human body. The best bet is to not get it at all.

Those that have contracted the virus are potentially storing up problems for the future. We have no way of knowing the long-term effects of infection. But safe to say after my infection I'm still dealing with issues. Not major ones, but dryness of the eyes and joint pain has been the main issues for me post infection.


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