Researchers Dr. Yu (Ray) Zuo, a Michigan Medicine rheumatologist, Dr. Yogen Kanthi, a cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist at the Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and Dr. Jason Knight, a rheumatologist at Michigan Medicine, have found a connection between white blood cells and more serious COVID-19 symptoms. The researchers studied blood samples from 50 COVID-19 patients.
According to Zuo, “We found that patients with COVID-19 infection have higher blood levels of neutrophil extracellular traps, also called NETs, which are a product of an inflammatory type of neutrophil cell death called NETosis.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuo and his fellow researchers say that it’s important to understand what causes the inflammation and blood clots caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This inflammation leads to respiratory failure and it’s how patients end up on ventilators. The researchers believe that NETs may be at the root of the problem.
The study is published in the journal, JCI Insight.