Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => COVID-19 => Topic started by: nudephil on 21/05/2020 17:11:10
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Here's a question from listener Hilary:
I would be interested to learn if infected people with ‘long tail symptoms’, as reported in the Guardian on 15th May 2020, are still infected with the virus; or whether they have cleared it, but have possible residual immune dysfunction which is causing their symptoms? This is extremely important, because it may mean those affected should continue to isolate as the virus is still contagious...
Can anyone help?
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I assume that this is the article you refer to:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/15/weird-hell-professor-advent-calendar-covid-19-symptoms-paul-garner
Symptoms of COVID-19 can be caused by the virus damaging tissue directly, or by the immune system damaging tissue in its attempts to destroy the virus.
Some of the symptoms that have been reported include people who have abnormally large holes in their lungs or thickening of the alveolar walls - both of these will cause long-term problems with breathing, until the lung can regenerate - and in severe cases, maybe it won't regenerate. Other symptoms have included abnormal clots - and a clot that lodges in your brain can cause a stroke and permanent brain damage, or damage to your heart.
There have also been claims that the virus can persist in "immune-privileged" tissues (eg testes), even after it is cleared from the rest of body. This could cause later re-emergence of the pandemic.
At least Professor Paul Garner will be directing his team towards finding more about the habits of this new coronavirus, and the rocky road to recovery. Current global experiments in loosening restrictions will prove quite instructive...
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_privilege
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One after spanish flu was this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalitis_lethargica
As seen in the motion picture "Awakenings"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awakenings