The Guardian reports on UK studies to find a possible link between blood clots and ongoing symptoms of Covid (Long Covid). Further UK studies will look into blood thinners and whether they could be a possible treatment to help those with the disease.
Extract
“In addition, Banerjee said research from scientists in South Africa had suggested that people with long Covid have microclots in their blood, while studies in the UK suggested almost a third of long Covid patients have clotting abnormalities.
But he said it was not clear if the findings were generalisable, and while there had been calls on social media for anticoagulants to be made available on the basis of such findings, further research was needed, not least as blood thinners can lead to an increased risk of bleeds.
The point was echoed by Prof Betty Raman, of the University of Oxford, who cautioned that studies into microclots and long Covid had not yet been carried out on a large scale, microclots were difficult to screen for, and it was not yet clear whether clotting abnormalities are indeed a cause of ongoing Covid symptoms.”
“There needs to be more dedicated studies looking at the efficacy of anticoagulants [for long Covid], just like how we did with [treatments for] the acute unwell patients,”
Professor Betty Raman, University of Oxford
MEA Comment
Dr Shepherd, Honorary Medical Adviser to the MEA says:
Despite the important clinical and pathological overlaps between ME/CFS and Long Covid, there is no research evidence to indicate that the type of blood clotting problems found in Covid, and some people with Long Covid, are also present in ME/CFS.
Any treatment clearly needs to be validated and assessed in a proper clinical trial.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association.
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE Guideline Committee.
Member of the 2002 Independent Working Group on ME/CFS.
