COVID-19 can cause a wide range of illnesses which includes common cold and cough. These are some common problems that affect the respiratory system but gradually it was noticed that coronavirus can affect other systems of the body, too. A person might have a higher risk of developing serious symptoms but then it depends on their age and medical conditions which can weaken their immune system.
In humans, coronaviruses can cause the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This can later lead to long term COVID or long-term effects of coronavirus in the body which can show its signs for a long time. This illness results from an infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus is responsible for an ongoing pandemic and more than 2 million deaths so far. Viruses work by hijacking cells. They enter the host cells and reproduce, then they spread to new cells across the body. As pathogens that the body does not recognize, viruses trigger an immune response. This can cause inflammation and other effects.
In an exclusive interaction with Healthwire media, Dr. Shivali Ahlawat the Head of National Reference Laboratory, Oncquest Laboratories Ltd explained how COVID-19 affects the other organs of the body too.
“In order to understand how COVID-19 affects the different organs of the body slowly after being infected, we need to first understand the basic mechanism of the action. Firstly COVID-19 causes inflammation in the body and our body strongly reacts to it. Secondly, it causes endothelium cell damage, which damages the blood vessels. Thirdly, it forms blood clots in the body which is also called the Hypercoagulable stage which is again affects the other body organs,” said, Dr. Shivali Ahlawat.