Why Does COVID-19 Cause Blood Clots?

As experts hustle to gather more information on the novel coronavirus, researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have found that many severe cases of COVID-19 correspond with high levels of blood clotting which can increase the risk of fatalities. The cross disciplinary study, which was led by a team of clinician scientists and involved Irish patients diagnosed with COVID-19, found that abnormal blood clotting is a considerable cause of death.

Abnormal blood clotting linked to higher fatalities

Along with the RCSI, the study was spearheaded by the Irish Centre for Vascular Biology (ICVB) and St James's Hospital in Dublin. The findings were published in the British Journal of Haematology, with the authors explaining how blood clotting in COVID-19 patients can lead to potentially fatal micro-clots in the lungs. They also found that abnormal blood clotting significantly increases the risks of admission to intensive care units, as well as increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes in COVID-19 patients.

“Our novel findings demonstrate that COVID-19 is associated with a unique type of blood clotting disorder that is primarily focussed within the lungs and which undoubtedly contributes to the high levels of mortality being seen in patients with COVID-19," explains co-first author of the study, Professor James O'Donnell.

Explaining the drastic drop in blood oxygen levels

O'Donnell, who is Director of the Irish Centre for Vascular Biology at the RCSI and a Consultant Haematologist at the National Coagulation Centre in St James's Hospital, says severe cases of COVID-19 can lead to the formation of hundreds of small blood clots in the lungs. “This scenario is not seen with other types of lung infection, and explains why blood oxygen levels fall dramatically in severe COVID-19 infection,” says O'Donnell.

He says that investigating how micro-clots in the lungs are formed is key to developing new treatments and therapies for COVID-19 patients. “Further studies will be required to investigate whether different blood thinning treatments may have a role in selected high risk patients in order to reduce the risk of clot formation," says O'Donnell. Moving forward, the Irish COVID-19 Vasculopathy Study (iCVS) will advance the research, with funding from the Health Research Board and Irish Research Council.

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