Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19
Excerpt:
Endothelial dysfunction is a principal determinant of microvascular dysfunction by shifting the vascular equilibrium towards more vasoconstriction with subsequent organ ischaemia, inflammation with associated tissue oedema, and a procoagulant state.6 Our findings show the presence of viral elements within endothelial cells and an accumulation of inflammatory cells, with evidence of endothelial and inflammatory cell death. These findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection facilitates the induction of endotheliitis in several organs as a direct consequence of viral involvement (as noted with presence of viral bodies) and of the host inflammatory response. In addition, induction of apoptosis and pyroptosis might have an important role in endothelial cell injury in patients with COVID-19. COVID-19- endotheliitis could explain the systemic impaired microcirculatory function in different vascular beds and their clinical sequelae in patients with COVID-19.
This could explain the sequelae of apparent hypoxic / ischemic insult, without positing any attack by viral proteins on heme...
I learned about apoptosis theory two decades ago when my daughter was getting her PhD. So when I heard the phrase “Free Iron” I knew immediately. Which is why I say that “Free Iron” is not a Disease mechanism, it is a Death Mechanism.