COVID-19 leads to blood clots in a significant number of people who have a severe form of the disease. In an interview with Medical News Today, thrombosis expert Prof. Beverley Hunt explains why blood clots are dangerous for those with the new coronavirus.
As news of a SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus, traveled across the globe, many experts thought that they would primarily encounter respiratory symptoms.
And little did we expect to be hearing about cardiovascular complications, digestive symptoms, the loss of smell and taste, and the likes of “COVID toe,” one of a collection of skin symptoms that some people with COVID-19 develop.
Blood clots are another complication that has been making headlines. MNT reported on a series of articles in the journal Radiology that suggested that a significant number of people with severe COVID-19 develop life threatening clotting.
But why would a virus that primarily infects the respiratory tract cause blood clots? And how is this putting patients at serious risk?