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Cologne –
More and more people are infected with the coronavirus, and in the fall of 2020 the number of those dying from this infection will also increase. There have been an estimated 1.16 million deaths related to the virus worldwide since the start of the pandemic (as of 27 October 2020).
As the number of infections has also increased significantly in Germany recently, Chancellor Angela Merkel will consult with the prime minister on Wednesday (October 28) on possible new crown measures. Stricter restrictions are in place in everyday life to keep the pandemic under control and to prevent ICU beds from becoming scarce in the coming weeks.
One of the first pathologists to the victims of the Covid 19 autopsy in the spring is Kirsten Mertz from Switzerland. He spoke to Focus Online about his findings and noticed two anomalies that provide important information for further treatment.
“At first we didn’t even know what to expect – it was a completely new situation for us to investigate the victims of this highly contagious and unknown virus,” the pathologist said in an interview with the portal.
Crown: the pathologist detects anomalies during the autopsy of Covid 19 patients
And during their examinations, Mertz and her colleagues discovered two anomalies: on the one hand there were the deceased who showed the most serious damage to organs – especially the lungs – and on the other there were those victims who had only very few organ damage. And this although it has been shown that they were all infected with the same virus.
The statement provided a detailed analysis of lung tissue that showed various effects of the coronavirus:
“The one group in which the interferon stimulator (ISG) genes were upregulated had a high viral load in the lungs, but almost no damage,” says Mertz. “The other group, in which ISGs were downregulated, had little or no virus in their lungs, but very severe lung damage.”
People with high viral loads in their lungs died relatively soon after infection because the immune system was unable to suppress the virus, the pathologist explains.
People whose immune systems fought the virus effectively died much later. “Lung damage caused by an overreaction of the immune system”.
Therefore, the results do not contradict each other. They just show different stages of Covid-19 disease and two different ways of dying from it.
Corona: Autopsy results show the importance of masks
The results also provide information for the treatment of the sick. “For early stage patients with a high viral load in the lungs, antiviral agents such as remdesivir and / or neutralizing antibodies could be effective,” says Kirsten Merz Focus Online.
In the next phase, however, these funds would no longer be useful. Special anti-inflammatory drugs would be more promising here. These could stop the immune system from overreacting and prevent massive tissue damage from occurring.
And the autopsy results also provide information in terms of prevention. According to the expert, they would demonstrate how dangerous a high virus load is. That’s why wearing a mask is so important: While it may not be able to completely prevent infection, it ensures that we absorb significantly fewer viruses and that the risk of serious illness is reduced, explains Mertz.
Background note from autopsies: Mertz and his colleagues published the results of 21 examinations between March and May 2020. The victims were mainly the classic risk group: males, over 70, with previous illnesses. “The number may not seem great when compared to the many coronal deaths worldwide, but these are very complex autopsies where all organs are removed, measured and extensive tissue examinations are done,” says Kirsten Mertz. (so)
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