Coronavirus not respiratory disease but vascular illness, claims UC San Diego study

New research has shed light on some unknown facts about the COVID-19 virus. According to research, which was conducted by a team of experts at the University of California-San Diego, it was found that COVID-19 is not a lung-related disease but a vascular illness. The researchers found that people affected by COVID-19 showed complications like blood clots and COVID feet, which were not typical symptoms of any respiratory disease. The study published in the journal Circulation Research revealed that the COVID-19 virus directly affects the circulatory or vascular system in the body.

COVID-19 is not a respiratory illness but a vascular disease

Researchers have claimed that the COVID-19 virus is not a respiratory illness but a vascular one, as the spike in the S protein in the body directly affects the receptor ACE2, which causes damage to the mitochondria that generate the energy of the cells, further causing damage or breakdown of the endothelium, which is a thin membrane that provides a covering over the heart and blood vessels.

Notably, the early research of the COVID virus revealed that the presence of S protein is replicated by all of the vaccines available in the market. To learn more about the COVID-19 virus and its connection with respiratory illness, researchers created a pseudovirus that only had the S protein, and the rest of the bacteria was not included. Later, it was found that the S protein was enough by itself to cause vascular diseases inside the body. It was found that the effects on the respiratory system are due to the inflammation of the vascular tissue in the lungs.

Researcher's observation

The researchers observed that the COVID-19 virus, which is widely considered a respiratory disease, is actually a vascular disease. The virus, after entering the body, affects the circulatory system. According to co-author, Uri Manor, "COVID-19 is not a respiratory disease, but it’s a vascular disease". He further said those patients who are severely affected by COVID-19 suffer strokes, while some suffer issues in other parts of the body. After studying all the symptoms, one thing that was common among all the patients was that they all had "vascular underpinnings."

(IMAGE: PIXABAY)