Heart problems and cancer side effects: what's learned about COVID-19 from new research

Today, the close attention of experts in the field of virology is directed to the study of COVID-19. There are several recent studies that reveal new facts about this disease and preventive measures against it. The edition told in more detail Reuters.

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The risk of heart problems is much higher after COVID-19

A large study found that long after recovering from COVID-19, people face a significantly higher risk of new heart problems.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs compared rates of new CVD in 153 people who were infected with the coronavirus before vaccines were available, with 760 million people who did not contract the virus, and another 5,6 million whose data was collected before the vaccine was available. pandemics.

On average, one year after the acute phase of infection, COVID-19 survivors were 63% more likely to have a heart attack, 69% more likely to have arrhythmias, 52% more likely to have a stroke, 72% more likely to have heart failure, and XNUMX% more likely to be potentially fatal. thrombosis in the lungs is almost three times higher compared to the other two groups.

The increased risk among former COVID-19 patients was evident among young and old, black and white, men and women, people with and without diabetes, with and without kidney disease, and smokers and non-smokers, said Ziyad Al-Ali of the Department Virginia State Health Service in St. Louis.

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The risks were high even in people with mild COVID-19 who did not need to be hospitalized.

“The disease really didn’t spare anyone,” Al-Ali said. “People with COVID-19 should monitor their health and seek medical attention if they experience symptoms such as pain or pressure in the chest, palpitations, swelling in the legs, and others.”

Side effects of mRNA vaccines are not exacerbated in cancer patients

A new study suggests that COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA technology do not cause any additional short-term side effects in cancer patients.

The researchers interviewed 1753 recipients after two doses of the Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech vaccine, about two-thirds of whom had a history of cancer and about 12% received chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery.

The Pfizer vaccine has been found to work well in such cases. People with and without cancer reported similar rates of injection site pain, muscle pain, joint pain, fever, chills, headache, nausea, and fatigue. Overall, about 73% of patients reported post-vaccination symptoms, regardless of whether they had cancer. In this case, pain at the injection site was the most common side effect.

Experts noted that in the early stages of the pandemic, research created distrust of vaccines among cancer patients. The harm from COVID-19 is "aggravated for cancer patients who refuse vaccination," they said.

“Our data, combined with data from other sources, show that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is well tolerated by patients with a history of cancer, including those receiving active treatment,” the experts said.

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Omicron pathway into cells helps explain symptoms

The method of infecting cells with the omicron variant differs from the mechanism most commonly used by early SARS-CoV-2 variants, which may help explain the milder symptom profile, another study suggests.

Early variants use the ACE2 protein on the cell surface and an enzyme called TMPRSS2 to fuse with the cell membrane and bring their genetic material inside.

The researchers found that the omicron prefers to enter cells by creating tiny sacs in the cell membrane, called endosomes, that cells use to transport materials inside. Omicron still attaches to ACE2 proteins but does not need the help of TMPRSS2. That is, omicron reproduces most easily in tissues where TMPRSS2 is low, such as in the nose. In the lungs, where there is a lot of TMPRSS2, omicron spreads less efficiently and causes less damage than earlier strains.

The findings help explain "why the disease is less severe and less likely to cause pneumonia." Dr Ravindra Gupta of the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the UK noted that drugs that target TMPRSS2, such as camostat mesylate, a treatment for pancreatitis that has shown some benefit in COVID-19 patients, may be less helpful in omicron.

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