How could coronavirus impact the body? What researchers found about kidneys, intestines
Coronavirus could go beyond the respiratory tract and infect other parts of the body, new research shows.
The disease is already known to impact the lungs, with symptoms that include cough and breathing trouble, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the kidneys and intestines also could be among the organs at risk for impacts from SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to recent findings.
“The highest levels of SARS-CoV-2 copies per cell were detected in the respiratory tract, and lower levels were detected in the kidneys, liver, heart, brain, and blood,” scientists wrote in a letter published Wednesday on the New England Journal of Medicine website.
The researchers, who represent three German medical centers, say they came up with their findings after taking autopsy samples from 27 patients who died after getting the coronavirus.
What have other studies found?
Also on Wednesday, a team at the University of Hong Kong published data from a study of human and bat organoids, which are lab-grown versions of organs.
The virus replicated in the human intestine model, suggesting the “intestinal tract might be a transmission route of SARS-CoV-2,” according to the findings that appeared in the Nature Medicine journal.
The organs’ response “might contribute to the development of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients and requires further study,” the scientists reported.
Earlier this month, researchers from the Netherlands also studied human organoids and found evidence that the virus could replicate on the intestinal lining, according to Science.
Some coronavirus patients have already reported vomiting, diarrhea and related symptoms, the CDC says.
The intestinal findings weren’t the only ones to show potential links between the virus and non-respiratory organs.
Researchers monitored 5,449 hospitalized coronavirus patients and found nearly 37% developed acute kidney injury, which limits the organs’ ability to filter waste, according to Kidney International. Researchers with the International Society of Nephrology and Northwell Health in New York say they conducted the study March 1 to April 5.
Dr. C. John Sperati has also seen COVID-19 patients with “kidney damage,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Though infections have emerged in people without kidney issues, “many patients with severe COVID-19 are those with co-existing, chronic conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes,” which can “increase the risk of kidney disease,” Sperati said this month on the Johns Hopkins website.
Medical professionals are continuing to investigate to see whether an immune system response, pneumonia or other virus-related factors could be behind the attacks on kidneys.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 12:08 PM with the headline "How could coronavirus impact the body? What researchers found about kidneys, intestines."
