Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 09, 2025 4 hours, 54 minutes ago
Medical News: A Dangerous Health Crisis Brewing After COVID-19
Researchers from the Cardiology Unit, AOU Luigi Vanvitelli, the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Monaldi Hospital, and Link Campus University have issued a chilling warning—long COVID is not just lingering tiredness or brain fog, it can quietly wreck the heart and lungs for years after the initial infection. Even people who only experienced mild COVID-19 can later develop hidden, life-altering complications. According to this
Medical News report, the threat is far deeper than most realize, involving ongoing cellular damage that silently builds inside the body long after the virus has left.
The Invisible Damage Inside the Body
Long COVID patients often suffer endothelial dysfunction, a condition where the delicate lining of blood vessels is injured. This triggers dangerous changes—restricted blood flow, sticky blood prone to clotting, and unrelenting inflammation. Key warning signs include persistently high levels of IL-6, abnormal D-dimer, and elevated von Willebrand factor. Tiny clots, or microthrombi, have been detected in the heart, lungs, and even the brain, blocking oxygen delivery and sparking symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, exhaustion, and exercise intolerance. Over time, inflammation hardens heart muscle, scars lung tissue, and leaves a trail of permanent damage.
Heart Damage That Lingers for Months
Cardiac MRI scans have uncovered myocardial inflammation and fibrosis weeks or months after infection. In some disturbing cases, traces of the virus or its proteins have been found in heart tissue months later—suggesting the immune system may be under constant low-level attack. This can cause heart rhythm problems, reduced pumping strength, and myocarditis-like conditions, even in people who initially seemed to recover.
Lungs Under Continuous Attack
The lungs often show fibrotic scarring, vascular injury, and smouldering inflammation. Biopsies from long COVID patients reveal damaged alveoli, thickened lung walls, and immune cell build-up. Alarmingly, even “normal” lung scans can hide microscopic injuries that reduce oxygen exchange, leaving patients gasping for breath during daily activities.
The Deadly Heart-Lung Spiral
Heart and lung damage feed off each other in a vicious cycle—scarred lungs force the heart to work harder, and a weakened heart reduces lung efficiency. Without early intervention, this can spiral into heart failure, strokes, and irreversible respiratory decline. Experts are calling for multidisciplinary action, with cardiologists, lung specialists, and rehabilitation teams working together. Using advanced imaging, blood tests, and even tissue samples, doctors can pinpoint patients most at risk and act before the damage becomes permanent.
Why This Study Is a Wake-Up Call
Long COVID is proving to be a silent but devastating condition that goes far beyond fatigue or cough. It is a dangerous mix of chronic inflammation, runaway immune activity, blood vessel damage, and microclots. Researchers say urgent action is needed—ranging from anti-inflammatory and clot-busting drugs to tailored rehab programs—to stop long-term disability. Without awareness and early monitoring, thousands could face a lifetime of heart a
nd lung disease triggered by an infection they thought they had beaten.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/16/7668
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Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/long-covid-may-trigger-lasting-kidney-damage-due-to-persistent-inflammation-and-fibrosis
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/dna-methylation-changes-link-long-covid-to-chronic-fatigue-in-new-study-by-new-zealand-scientists
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/long-covid-brain-fog-tied-to-dangerous-vascular-and-heart-related-gene-changes
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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