It¡¯s almost a year since our world has been fighting against the novel coronavirus. We already know how it affects the lungs of the infected, causing severe breathing issues and even death, if not dealt with in an appropriate manner.?
However, now, new research suggests that it might also be able to affect the human brain, through the central nervous system.
Reported first by PTI, this is according to a study conducted by researchers from Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, in Germany. The study suggests that SARS CoV-2 virus not just affects the respiratory tract, but also the central nervous system, causing the patient to have symptoms like loss of smell, taste, headache, fatigue, nausea etc.
For this, researchers looked at the nasopharynx -- the upper section of the throat that join the nasal cavity -- which is also regarded as the first site where the virus enters and replicates, as well as brains of 33 patients (22 males, 11 females) who died of the novel coronavirus.?
The average age was 71.6 years at the time of death, and time from onset of COVID-19 symptoms to death was an average of 31 days.??
Researchers revealed that they¡¯ve found genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 protein in the brain and nasopharynx. However, the highest levels of viral RNA were found in the olfactory mucous membrane.?
Researchers also found that the disease duration was inversely correlated with the amount of detectable virus. This basically means that higher SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels were found in cases with shorter disease duration.
The team also discovered SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in cells within the olfactory mucous layer where it could breach the closeness of endothelial and nervous tissue to enter the brain. Researchers have also found the presence of the novel coronavirus in the medulla oblongata.?
They do note that further COVID-19 autopsy studies with a broad range of sampling are needed to identify the way SARS-CoV-2 enters and affects the body.?