DRUGS used to treat immune system problems could be used to reduce the risk of blood clots in covid patients, new research has found.
A new study of cells led by the University of Reading showed antibodies produced in response to the virus may be triggering blood clots
in patients with severe disease.
It was published in the journal Blood, and showed that the increase of platelets could lead to fatal strokes and heart attacks for some.
The researchers found that it was possible to reduce or stop these clots by using medication to inhibit platelet function or immune responses.
A trial led by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – called MATIS — is already testing these drugs in clinical trials with patients across the country.
Professor Jon Gibbins, director of the Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research at the University of Reading said: “Until now, we have only had assumptions about why platelets involved in clotting were being activated during Covid-19 infection.
“One way to think of what is happening is that the immune response that is designed to protect you from the infection in some cases, particularly in severely ill patients, actually causes more damage.
“In this case, the antibodies that are produced to stop Covid-19 from spreading trigger infected cells to induce platelet activity which causes clotting even though there is no wound that needs healing.”
Co-author of the paper, Nichola Cooper, reader at Imperial College London and consultant haematologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust also designed and
is leading the MATIS trial.
She said blood clots were a key reason for covid-related deaths in the pandemic.
“Having been involved in early research around blood clotting related to inflammation, it occurred to me that the drugs we already use for other disorders could
be easily accessible treatments for Covid-19,” she said.
“We are yet to see results from the MATIS trial so we do not yet know how these drugs will work in patients, but our hope is that we can both inhibit the inflammatory response and prevent severe disease and blood clots.”
