Another comment links to an article that explains it generally. NETs and “microclots” can clump together.
One possibility first raised by physiologist Resia Pretorius of Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2021 is microclots. These are tiny, abnormally persistent blood clots that are smaller than those seen in conditions such as stroke or thrombosis, yet large enough to hinder blood flow through capillaries.
Meanwhile, in 2022, Thierry and his colleagues showed that patients with long COVID have elevated levels of neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs. These are sticky webs of DNA and enzymes released by white blood cells to capture and contain pathogens invading the body.
Normally, NETs do their job and then quickly break down, but when they are released in large numbers or persist longer than needed, they can contribute to blood flow problems such as thrombosis and atherosclerosis.
The new research – a collaboration between Pretorius and Thierry – suggests that these two separate markers, NETs and microclots, may interact in the blood of long COVID patients.
So a breakdown in the blood brain barrier and microclots are separate issues from what we understand at this point? Or was the first diagnosis just based on information that wasn’t fully developed yet so they now have a more formulated hypothesis?
Another comment links to an article that explains it generally. NETs and “microclots” can clump together.
So a breakdown in the blood brain barrier and microclots are separate issues from what we understand at this point? Or was the first diagnosis just based on information that wasn’t fully developed yet so they now have a more formulated hypothesis?