Covid infection significantly changes blood cells: Study

London, June 30

Covid-19 infection has the potential to significantly change the size and stiffness of red and white blood cells, a team of German scientists has found. In some cases, the effect may continue for months, a possible reason why some affected people continue to complain of symptoms long after an infection (also called long covid). During Covid disease, blood circulation is often impaired, and dangerous vascular occlusions can occur, and oxygen transport is limited. These are all phenomena in which the blood cells and their physical properties play a key role. To investigate this aspect, a team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the German Centre for Immunotherapy measured the mechanical states of red and white blood cells. “We were able to detect clear and long-lasting changes in the cells — both during an acute infection and even afterwards,” reports Professor Jochen Guck, managing director of MPL. –IANS