Scientists in the Ulyanovsk region revealed the ability of coronavirus to seriously affect the brain of an infected person. About this “Interfax” reported in the regional Ministry of Health with reference to the data of the Ulyanovsky State University.
“The negative consequences of the effect of coronavirus on the brain turned out to be stronger than previously assumed,” the publication says.
According to the results of the study, using the ACE2 receptor (APF2), the virus is able to penetrate into human cells and cause inflammation. This receptor is also found on the surface of neurons and glial cells in the brain.
The development of respiratory failure in patients may be associated with the inflammatory process. Presumably, infection affects not only the lower respiratory tract, but also on the respiratory center in the brain barrel. In addition to headaches, dizziness, disorders of taste and smelling among those who suffered coronavirus there are cases of serious brain damage – acute necrotic hemorrhagic encephalopathy. Meningitis and encephalitis are also possible.
In the framework of the study, cases of 107 patients with COVID-19 aged 40 to 80 years were studied, including those who died. In 88 percent of patients identified signs of damage to the nervous system.