Long COVID-19 may Lead to Irreversible Immune System Damage
by Iqra Zafar
SHARES
A recent study investigated the link between COVID-19 infection and its impact on our immune health. The outcomes of the study revealed that the immune response to COVID-19 infection is leading to blood vessel damage in the brain.
Previous studies also revealed the relationship between COVID-19 and brain tissue infections including brain fog and neurological issues. The data obtained from the Canadian population revealed that COVID-19 infection might have some impact on the immune responses of patients' affection to their immune cells.
The question arises because health officials recently raised questions on why so many inhabitants are contracting influenza and other viral illnesses. The severity of illness in children was also connected to this. This was revealed by the recent surge in young patient numbers in emergency and intensive care units across children's hospitals.
COVID-19's impact on the brain: Immune response may cause damage https://t.co/nV1unXcu2d #ScienceTwitter
— Medical News Today (@mnt) July 12, 2022
The situation got severe to an extent that it resulted in the cancellation of non-urgent surgeries to fulfill staff requirements for emergency and ICUs. It affected many children's hospitals in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.
Talking about the situation Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto said that they believe that COVID-19 can be a possible explanation behind this recent surge in COVID-19 cases as proven by some preliminary studies.
“We know that COVID blocks the production of interferon, which is a red flag that cells wave when they’re being attacked. We know that there are other kinds of immune system impairment with COVID, and it’s going to take a little while to try and explain that more clearly,” said Furness. “But it seems to be what’s going on, and it certainly fits the facts.”
However, despite all this evidence they are not sure about the extent of damage COVID-19 is causing and what other long-term effects are possible which makes further investigations inevitable.
