Studies have shown that COVID-19 can affect the acute injury of multiple organs to varying degrees. For example, the epithelium of esophagus, stomach and intestine appears degeneration, necrosis and shedding in different degrees; Testicles showed different degrees of spermatogenic cell reduction and damage; Brain congestion and edema, partial neuronal degeneration and ischemic changes; Hepatocyte degeneration and spot necrosis occurred in the liver. The kidney showed glomerular congestion, segmental hyperplasia or necrosis, and protein exudation in the glomerular capsule cavity.
"The decrease of testicular spermatogenic cells may affect male reproductive ability," a reproductive doctor who did not want to be named told reporters. However, from the current research, it can only be said that there is a correlation, and the two are not necessarily directly related. Most autopsy patients are in critical condition, and it is likely that there is an inflammatory storm, which leads to multiple organ damage.
Professor Li Yufeng from tongji hospital Reproductive Medicine Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology reminded that COVID-19 virus may cause testicular damage, and the male of school age infected with COVID-19 should have a fertility check-up after recovery.
In addition, the research team said that from the pathological results of 9/kloc-0 autopsy cases of new crown pneumonia, it was found that COVID-19 granules existed in multiple organs of severely elderly patients, such as digestive tract, skin and various body fluids. This may indicate that there are many ways of virus transmission in COVID-19.
The above-mentioned reproductive doctor told reporters, "If COVID-19 is detected in male testicles and semen, we should be alert to the possibility of COVID-19's sexual transmission. However, there is no relevant evidence in the current research. "
Immune system: severe patients or multiple organs are damaged. "The reason why COVID-19 is difficult to control is because the virus not only attacks people's lungs, but also attacks the heart, digestive tract, kidneys and blood coagulation system, aiming at quickly paralyzing people's immune system." Dr. Zhan Qingyuan, director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said.
In March, 2020, the international medical journal The Lancet-Gastroenterology and Hepatology published online the commentary "Coronavirus Pneumonia-19 Related Liver Injury: Diagnosis and Challenge" by Wang Fusheng, an academician of China Academy of Sciences and a professor at the Fifth Medical Center (No.302 Hospital) of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army. The article pointed out that a certain proportion of mild and severe patients in COVID-19 had abnormal liver function.
Gong Zuojiong, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Wuhan University People's Hospital, once said in an interview with the Health Times reporter that from the clinical observation and published literature, the main damage of patients is mainly lung damage, and some patients are accompanied by liver damage to a certain extent, which may be related to several reasons. One is secondary liver injury, and the other is that sometimes more drugs are used in treatment, which may also show drug damage to some extent. Third, critically ill patients have respiratory distress syndrome, which leads to a multi-organ injury, which not only damages the liver or lungs, but also may be accompanied by heart and kidney problems.
"For critically ill patients, the struggle with COVID-19 is a process of killing 10,000 enemies and losing 8,000. Although critically ill patients are saved, many organs of the whole body are damaged. " Song Jianxin, a member of Hubei Provincial Epidemic Prevention Expert Group and chief physician of tongji hospital Infectious Diseases Department of Huake, told Health Times reporter.
Nervous system: COVID-19 pointed out in the "Expert Knowledge of novel coronavirus Infection Prevention and Control in Neurology Department (First Edition)" that some patients are complicated with nervous system symptoms, such as sudden slurred speech, limb paralysis and other acute cerebrovascular diseases; Symptoms of intracranial infection such as headache, epilepsy and disturbance of consciousness; Symptoms of muscle injury, such as pain and weakness in limbs. The pathological changes in the "Trial Seventh Edition" also increased the contents of cerebral congestion, edema and partial neuronal degeneration.
Jong Li, director of the Department of Neurology, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, said in an interview with the Health Times reporter that if a patient is seriously infected in COVID-19, encephalitis and meningitis may occur due to low general immunity. Some severe patients with secondary intracranial infection may also have nervous system manifestations such as headache, jet vomiting, decreased vision and limb convulsions.
At present, COVID-19's influence on the nervous system is likely to occur in patients with severe infection. Even if it is affected, it is mostly a complication after COVID-19's infection. Because ordinary people have a complete blood-brain barrier and good autoimmune, they can better resist the invasion of viruses.