Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : November 16, 2021 11:54 AM IST
Ischemic stroke in COVID-19 patients: Remember to B.E. F.A.S.T.
Have you been gaining weight extensively lately? Well, this article may help you to understand how gaining weight or obesity can become one of the major factors for the development of endothelial dysfunction. This is a serious health condition in which the blood vessels become unable to contract and relax adequately. According to a recent study, this particular condition also increases the risk of events such as heart attacks, thrombosis (blood clotting), and stroke in Covid-19 patients.
Endothelium refers to the thin sheet of cells lining the walls of arteries and veins, as well as the inside of the heart. Here are some of the important roles of the Endothelial cells that you need to know.
Speaking to the media, researcher Alessandro Domingues Heubel said, "We characterised the patients in general and then set out to identify the factors that might modulate or intensify endothelial damage. The results showed that the key factor was BMI, followed quite a way behind by blood creatinine level, a marker of kidney function."
In the study which was published in the journal Obesity, the research team analysed data from 109 patients hospitalised owing to acute Covid-19 but not in a critical condition.
Blood samples were collected shortly after hospital admission, and endothelial function was assessed non-invasively 72 hours later by the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) method, in which the diameter of the brachial artery is measured by high-resolution ultrasound before and after circulation is restricted in the forearm for a few minutes.
Besides FMD and BMI, the researchers assessed muscle health by measuring grip strength with a dynamometer and analysed blood levels of hemoglobin, leukocytes, lymphocytes, creatinine, and platelets, as well as C-reactive protein, ferritin, and D-dimer (markers of inflammation and coagulation).
To find the determinants of endothelial dysfunction in the study sample, the team used univariate regression and multiple regression. Only high BMI and the level of creatinine were found to correlate directly with a decrease in FMD.
According to the researchers, each additional unit of BMI corresponded to a decrease of 0.19 per cent in FMD. "In clinical practice, we find that obese patients have more cardiovascular events while they're hospitalised," the researchers said. They further added, "Our study can help understand the mechanisms underlying this problem and why obesity increases the risk of progressing to severe Covid-19."
(With inputs from Agencies)
