Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : May 17, 2022 12:08 PM IST
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, but it can attack more than your lungs and respiratory system. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, primarily infects the lungs in the affected individuals, and causes damage that persist even after recovery. Pulmonary fibrosis is one of the complications of COVID infection observed among survivors. It occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred, making it harder to breathe.
Dr. Pradeep Mahajan, Regenerative Medicine Researcher, StemRx Bioscience Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Navi Mumbai/Mumbai, is using a novel cell-based therapy for treatment of post-COVID lung fibrosis and found it highly effective. Let's learn more about this therapy from the expert.
The COVID-19 virus spreads via droplets from an infected person (while coughing, sneezing, etc.) and travels through the airways and affects the lungs. The lining of the airways become irritated and inflamed (swelling) leading to the symptoms like cough, fever, tiredness, loss of taste and smell, and occasionally breathlessness, sore throat, bodyache. In more severe infection, the inflammation progresses in the lungs, which are then filled with fluid and dead tissue. In several cases, scars (fibrosis) form in the airways and lungs due to which patients tend to experience persistent cough, difficulty in breathing, tiredness, difficulty while exercising, etc. even months and sometimes even a year or more after recovery.
The issue with fibrosis is that the scar tissue affects the flow of blood in the lungs and consequently causes improper oxygen and gas exchange. This leads to diminished overall quality of life.
Current treatment strategies include using anti-fibrotic drugs; however, these are not exclusively meant to treat post-COVID lung fibrosis.
Dr. Mahajan said that they have initiated consultation and treatment of patients with post-COVID syndrome with a novel set of regenerative and rehabilitative therapies.
Nebulization of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an approach that Dr. Mahajan considers especially beneficial in several post-COVID issues.
He explained, "There are various growth factors in platelets (the cells in our body responsible for blood clotting) that play different roles in the healing processes of the body. For examples, these factors stimulate cells to perform their functions more efficiently, boost blood supply, and repair damaged tissues, among other functions. These factors also have been shown to reduce scar tissue, thus can be extremely beneficial in cases of lung fibrosis as they help in improving blood supply and enhancing tissue oxygenation. Being a natural treatment, especially non-invasive (inhalation route), there is no issue of side effects."
This treatment can help patients breathe more efficiently by treating the pathology associated with the symptoms, thus improving their overall quality of life, he noted.
Dr. Mahaja added, "Regenerative treatments is all about tapping into our own body's resources to heal the damage. Providing the right cells and growth factors at the right time and location along with allied rehabilitative therapies is the most effective approach to tackle both short- and long-term symptoms and sequelae of diseases, including newer diseases like COVID-19, about which we are learning something new each day."
