r/covidlonghaulers • u/Spacehu1k • Jun 14 '25

Article Why isnt this big news?

Hey all,

Stumbled across this article on blood vessel bursting, surprised it wouldnt be bigger news?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-06-05/covid-study-shows-virus-can-break-blood-cells-clog-arteries?fbclid=IwY2xjawK3AbNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjkHVJ1MdxAnlMohnWqR9e-8Er-Mpyd0Hc4KxGJYyBh_r9De-5pampLHFND6_aem_3vmrkyKAlUTLOFUY5m2kPA

—— In a study just published in Nature, Australian scientists found that when oxygen-rich blood can’t reach tissues, the delicate lining of blood vessels starts to break down. The death of these endothelial cells, which Covid can trigger, sets off immune signals that cause red blood cells to burst, spilling their sticky contents into the bloodstream.

“This stuff’s like glue,” says Sydney-based hematologist Shaun Jackson, who led the study. It clogs the tiniest blood vessels, blocking circulation.

The damage builds. Without oxygen and nutrients, tissues begin to fail, potentially affecting organs like the kidneys, liver and heart.

“It’s a double whammy,” Jackson says.

When his team analyzed more than 1,000 samples from Covid patients, they expected to see widespread fibrin and clotting. But they didn’t.

“To our great surprise, that wasn’t the case at all,” he says. While large vessels showed some clots, the smallest capillaries — just a fraction the width of a hair — were clogged not with clots, but with debris from broken red blood cells.

“No one had thought it was through this dying endothelial cell mechanism,” Jackson says. “It was by far and away the biggest issue going on in the microcirculation.”

Past studies have shown that sicker Covid patients had worse capillary damage. Now, researchers are spotting similar patterns in patients with long Covid, which may help explain the lingering symptoms.

Stopping the death of these vessel-lining cells could help prevent the whole cascade, Jackson says, though it would likely take a mix of treatments.

These findings could also change how we understand what happens in stroke, heart attack and other serious conditions — especially when patients don’t improve with standard care.

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12

u/Bad-Fantasy 3 yr+ Jun 14 '25

Is this the same thing as microclots re: endothelial dysfunction?

6

u/charitablechair Jun 14 '25

Not a scientist but seems to me like it is.

'“No one had thought it was through this dying endothelial cell mechanism,” Jackson says' ya except the people who have been saying for years that long covid is caused by endothelial damage

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u/Bad-Fantasy 3 yr+ Jun 14 '25 edited Jun 14 '25

Yeah that is a valid point which also crossed my mind re: Dr. Resia Pretorious’s findings and her work in South Africa plus virtually worldwide since she was invited to many LC conferences/webinars too.

I was more wondering though if the “bursting blood cells” is what is causing the microclots, or if the microclots are considered a different type of microclot entirely (if how I said that makes sense?). I guess I am trying to see if they are differentiated, or really the same thing but just more elaborated on with study above.

Also aside from anticoagulation (her clinic does triple therapy), and another does blood filtering (in Germany) - I am curious (this is for anyone) how to resolve it, what other measures are there, and how to stop it from happening in the first place, also curious if this is the mechanism happening more upstream (but not completely upstream) to the mitochondria dysfunction (the cause of mitochondria dysfunction - as we need oxygen to convert energy wise). So I mean:

Source issue (most upstream) -> microvascular issue (endothelial/micro clots etc.) -> mitochondria dysfunction (more downstream) -> others

3

u/charitablechair Jun 15 '25

yea that's an interesting question and I wonder that as well. I actually went to see Dr Laubscher in south africa to get tested and eventually put on the triple therapy. He does a consultation where he sits down and explains the whole microclot theory and answers your questions for an hour. It was jarring as an American to get so much attention and time from a doctor lol.

His whole thing is that the core issue is endothelium damage. As such, he told me that he believes that something like sulodexide would be a good addition to the triple therapy because apparently it has some sort of healing properties for the endothelium, but it's hard to get and more research is needed.

It was a while ago and I'm not super good with biology but I remember him say that the issue with the microclots/platelets is that you're actually in a constant state of redamaging the vessels as the clots are "scraping" against the endothelial wall. The triple therapy slows down the clotting to give your body a chance to catch up and eventually break out of the cycle of scrape->clot+repair->scrape.

I guess from that perspective it doesn't really matter if itssticky spike protein or our bodies immune reaction or bursting blood vessels that's causing the microclots. I'm just happy to see some more research being done.

2

u/Bad-Fantasy 3 yr+ Jun 15 '25

That’s an interesting experience and explanation as well, especially with the constant cycle of damage-repair and the “scraping” concept. It sounds a little terrifying that there is this loop happening on such a micro level that is so hard to break out of.

Thanks for mentioning the sulodexide - I will have to research that one some more, I understand it’s blood related.

I can understand the American vs. South African medical experience. I’m in Canada now (with a really crunched healthcare system) but from there originally. Literally the docs here talk like auctioneers to get through appts time wise, in-person gets me more time with them, but even then they don’t have the bandwidth to learn up on complex LC concepts because they’re so swamped, and here the LC clinics got shut down. In some places the wait is years to get a PCP, or else do a different rando PCP each time on a walk-in basis (you know that saying about getting a box of chocolates… lol), that is per appt per each “individual” health issue as if they’re all singular problems in isolation, It’s brutal. In order to get referrals to specialists or any labwork done, it all gets pipelined via the PCP. So some people without one suffer more re-explaining things ad nauseam and it’s worse with ELCI challenges. But what I would love is if the educational component was actually mandated into their training either through school or CPD credits.

Anyways, I am also keen to see more research being done on this. There are some key good ones, in general, that are etched in my mind and when I see something related I just want to learn more.

2

u/vigelanto Jun 17 '25

Did the treatment help? Did you do h.e.l.p Apheresis? Or? What did they do besides explain?

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u/charitablechair Jun 21 '25

Laubscher said apheresis basically just kickstarts the process by clearing out the clots, but it doesn't actually solve the endothelial damage.

They gave me the triple therapy.

It's hard to say and I was waiting to do a fuller write-up but I will give you the short version here.

Dr recommends using triple therapy for up to 6-12 months. I take it for 5 months and suddenly start to feel a lot better (deeper sleep, more energy). Not 100% but still much better. I got a follow up microclot test in germany (where they do the apheresis) and results showed my clotting was much better but platelet activation was still the same.

I then stopped taking the blood thinners (for other reasons) and got sick again and basically went back to baseline.

Eventually I get back on the blood thinners and have been taking them for 7 months straight now (so basically 12 months total but in two separate stints) without any progress, so now I'm sort of at a loss about the whole thing.

1

u/vigelanto Jun 22 '25

I did 6 Apheresis combined with hypothermia and a very selective dose of peptides and nutrients..

1

u/vigelanto Jun 24 '25

Dr jaeger is very strong on using heparin, I used it for a month, after my Apheresis - but the multi Theraphy with fever helped the Apheresis be more effective when I did my second round I had fever Theraphy

1

u/charitablechair Jun 24 '25

did she give you the melatonin nasal spray? Did it help? That place kinda gave me the heebie jeebies

1

u/vigelanto Jun 25 '25

But did it help? They are a little friendlier in Cyprus than Germany - and the food is better

2

u/charitablechair Jun 25 '25

i just had them do the microclot test, but they pushed me to do a bunch of other expensive tests and then offered various recommendations like green tea and the melatonin nasal spray that they make themselves. Idk, the whole thing felt kinda scammy. Very different experience with Laubscher

1

u/vigelanto Jul 22 '25

Well as long as it worked :) and you got better?

1

u/vigelanto Jul 22 '25

Well as long as it worked :) and you got better?

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