STATNEWS: Blood clots in severe Covid-19 patients leave clinicians with clues about the illness -- bu

[SheltieLover]

[link:https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/blood-clots-coronavirus-tpa/|

Doctors treating the sickest Covid-19 patients have zeroed in on a new phenomenon: Some people have developed widespread blood clots, their lungs peppered with tiny blockages that prevent oxygen from pumping into the bloodstream and body.

A number of doctors are now trying to blast those clots with tPA, or tissue plasminogen activator, an antithrombotic drug typically reserved for treating strokes and heart attacks. Other doctors are eyeing the blood thinner heparin as a potential way to prevent clotting before it starts.

Without a rigorous study, though, it’s impossible to know the potential risks or benefits of tPA, blood thinners, or other drugs — or what makes a difference. Until more robust research gets underway, the body of evidence now is a handful of case reports and anecdotal observations on the use of drugs to combat clots.

Much more at link. Starting to make a bit of sense why the Ebola drug is showing signs of promise.

[malaise]

1. Might blood thinners help in the early stages?

Interesting

[GusBob]

2. Weird fact

One of the signs of fatal Ebola cases was hiccups

[LisaL]

3. "Eblola" drug is a polymerase inhibitor.

I don't think it has anything to do with clots. Oh and it didn't actually work well against Ebola.

"Using polymerase enzymes from the coronavirus that causes MERS, scientists in Götte’s lab found that the enzymes can incorporate remdesivir, which resembles an RNA building block, into new RNA strands. Shortly after adding remdesivir, the enzyme stops being able to add more RNA subunits. This halts genome replication."
https://www.drugtargetreview.com/news/56798/mechanism-of-action-revealed-for-remdesivir-potential-coronavirus-drug/

[luvs2sing]

4. Blood clots are also a symptom of sepsis.

[getagrip_already]

5. I've mentioned before that my brother was suffering from covid symptoms in nyc....

He was presumed infected but not tested because he never had to be hospitalized. He had several factors going against him: he has heart disease and has had stints installed, he had a 1" kidney stone that had to be surgically removed along with other stints, he has diabetes, he is 63, he is over weight, etc.

He has essentially pulled through it. He had minor fever and fatigue for almost 4 weeks, but none of the lung pain or shortness of breath issues others have reported.

What is interesting is that he is on blood thinners, and was kept on them the whole time. I wonder if that helped him avoid the worst of the symptoms?

Interesting.

[SheltieLover]

7. Could be!

I am so glad to hear your brother has beat this horrid virus! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Perhaps you should email or call some hospital researchers to suggest they poll patients who are taking these meds?

[crickets]

6. K&R for visibility.