One of the more recent medical concerns connected to the SARs-CoV-2 coronavirus is that of silent hypoxia. This is a condition whereby oxygen levels in the body are atypically low. The reason why ‘silent’ is used as a descriptor is because none of the classic coronavirus symptoms are apparent while the infection still goes on to damage the lungs, where it can succeed in rendering parts of the lungs incapable of functioning properly.
In new research, from Boston University, biomedical scientists deployed computer modeling in order to test out three different scenarios to explain how and why the lungs stop providing oxygen to the bloodstream in some cases of coronavirus infection. One of the reasons for this condition developing is because the coronavirus infection affects the lungs’ ability to regulate where blood is directed.
The findings appear in Nature Communications, in a paper titled “Modeling lung perfusion abnormalities to explain early COVID-19 hypoxemia.”
Blood clots and arterial thrombosis
The coronavirus has an association with blood clots in the pulmonary arteries plus there is a concerning, more recently discovered link to lower extremity arterial thrombosis. This is a medical condition whereby blood clots in the arteries occur and these obstruct the flow of oxygenated blood to the lower parts of the body.
This is based on a review of patient cases, where a technique called a computed tomography angiogram (CTA) of the abdominal aorta and the lower limbs, was performed.
These concerns have been outlined in the journal Radiology, in a research paper headed “Lower extremity arterial thrombosis associated with COVID-19 is characterized by greater thrombus burden and increased rate of amputation and death.”
The research findings suggest that physicians need to assess of the connection between the coronavirus and lower extremity arterial thrombosis and the subsequent likelihood of developing atherosclerosis.
