Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19

The Lancet

Published:April 20, 2020

 

Cardiovascular complications are rapidly emerging as a key threat in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in addition to respiratory disease. The mechanisms underlying the disproportionate effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, however, remain incompletely understood.^1, 2

 

SARS-CoV-2 infects the host using the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is expressed in several organs, including the lung, heart, kidney, and intestine. ACE2 receptors are also expressed by endothelial cells.³
 Whether vascular derangements in COVID-19 are due to endothelial cell involvement by the virus is currently unknown. Intriguingly, SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect engineered human blood vessel organoids in vitro.4
 Here we demonstrate endothelial cell involvement across vascular beds of different organs in a series of patients with COVID-19 (further case details are provided in the appendix).

 

Read more: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30937-5/fulltext

There are also reports of kidney and other organ impairment, along with clotting problems leading to CVA (stroke) in younger/middle aged persons, even with supposedly minor symptoms of covid19  

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/24/strokes-coronavirus-young-patients/