Lung damage from severe COVID-19 may explain why some people who survive the disease take months to recover, a pathology study finds.
Researchers analyzed reports from an experienced pathologist who examined the organs of 41 patients who had died from the disease. The records consistently showed “massive” changes in the deceased patients’ lungs. What’s more, the virus persisted throughout the lung lining, which was infected and dysfunctional, they reported.
The findings demonstrate that the acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by the coronavirus is different than in other diseases, wrote Mauro Giacca, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Trieste, Italy.
ARDS usually involves damage to the lungs’ air sacs, whereas in COVID-19 it appears to involve the cells of the lung lining, he said.
The analysis also found that SARS-CoV-2 infections largely occur in the lung, with only minor involvement of other organs such as the heart, brain, kidney and liver.
The lung changes remain detectable several weeks beyond diagnosis. This could be why long-term complications are seen in some patients who have recovered from the acute phase of the disease, Giacca and colleagues concluded.
The study was published in The Lancet’s EBioMedicine.
