Study Reveals Mechanisms Associated with Severe Blood Clotting in COVID-19 Patients

AHA Publisher — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 08:00:10 +0000

NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute via News-Medical – After studying blood samples from 244 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, a group of researchers, including those who work at the National Institutes of Health, identified “rogue antibodies” that correlate with severe illness and may help explain mechanisms associated with severe blood clotting. The researchers found circulating antiphospholipid antibodies, which can be more common among people with autoimmune disorders, such as lupus. However, these “autoantibodies,” which target a person’s own organs and systems, can also be activated in response to viral infections and activate other immune responses. Scientists compared the blood samples to those from healthy controls and found the COVID-19 samples contained higher levels of the antibody IgG, which works with other immune cells, such as IgM, to respond to immune threats. Higher levels of IgG were also associated with COVID-19 disease severity, such as in patients who required breathing assistance. The researchers observed similar patterns, but to a lesser extent, after analyzing blood samples from 100 patients hospitalized for sepsis, which can leave the body in inflammatory shock following a bacterial or viral infection. IgG helps bridge a gap between innate and adaptive immune responses – a process that helps the body recognize, respond to, and remember danger. In normal cases, these features help protect the body from illness and infection. However, in some cases, this response can become hyperextended or altered and exacerbate illness. A unique finding from this study is that when researchers removed IgG from the COVID-19 blood samples, they saw molecular indicators of “blood vessel stickiness” fall. When they added these same IgG antibodies to the control samples, they saw a blood vessel inflammatory response that can lead to clotting. Since every organ has blood vessels in it, circulating factors that lead to the “stickiness” of healthy blood vessels during COVID-19 may help explain why the virus can affect many organs, including the heart, lungs, and brain. A query of this study was evaluating “upstream” factors involved with severe blood clotting and inflammation among people with severe COVID-19 illness. The researchers note future studies could explore the potential benefits of screening patients with COVID-19 or other forms of critical illness for antiphospholipids and other autoantibodies and at earlier points of infection. This may help identify patients at risk for extreme blood clotting, vascular inflammation, and respiratory failure. Corresponding studies could then assess the potential benefits of providing these patients with treatments to protect blood vessels or fine-tune the immune system. To read the original article click here.

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Don’t Have Access to a Sauna? Research Reveals a SIMPLE Way to Simulate This “Heart Healthy” Habit

AHA Publisher — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:00:02 +0000

Sarah Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – A growing crop of scientific papers continues to reveal the incredible health benefits of sauna bathing. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have access to a sauna, nor even a hot tub … fortunately, you can still reap the benefits of heat exposure just by running yourself a hot bath. In fact, a recent observational study involving over 800 people discovered that weekly hot baths provide some impressive heart healthy benefits. New Study: Taking Regular (HOT) Baths Supports Healthy Heart and Blood Vessels … Plus, Help to Fight Hardening of the Arteries The observational study was published in June 2018 volume of Scientific Reports. Researchers from Japan – a country where hot bathing has a long history of use – collected data from 873 participants, asking them questions about how often they bathed and at what water temperature. The researchers also took various measurements from the subjects, including brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (a primarily Eastern-based method for measuring atherosclerosis) and plasma levels of a compound called B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). BNP is a hormone secreted by heart muscles; high levels of BNP suggests the heart is not pumping effectively. After compiling and statistically analyzing the collected data, the Japanese discovered that people who reported bathing at least five times per week tend to have better heart health, as indicated by lower BNP levels and lower brachial-ankle pulse wave velocities. In their paper, the researchers also cite other studies which show that habitual hot water bathing is significantly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension, can boost cardiovascular function in people with heart failure, and can lower heart rate, and increase cardiac output and stroke volume while reducing peripheral vascular resistance. Indeed, hot water immersion “is comparable to low-temperature sauna bathing in terms of cardiovascular effects,” they say. In addition to boosting your heart health, sauna use and hot bathing have also been suggested to: Reduce the risk of stroke Positively influence hormone balance Enhance toxin excretion via sweat Makes it easier to fall asleep Decrease stress Alleviate pain So, don’t stress if your gym is currently closed due to COVID-19 or you simply don’t have a sauna or hot tub at your disposal. If you have a bathtub, then creating your own spa-like experience at home still appears to be worth your while. This Is How Long You Should Soak in a Hot Bath to Reap the Heart Healthy Benefits, According to Japanese Researchers (Plus Two Other Ways to Optimize Your Bathing Routine) In the study, the researchers found that the mean reported duration of a bath was just 12 minutes, with a water temperature of 106°F (41°C). So, consider using this as a guideline for creating your own hot bathing routine. In addition, there are two other research-supported tips you can use to get the most out of your bath time: Add Epsom salt to your bathwater: according to Cleveland Clinic, Epsom salt helps alleviate mental and physical tension and reduces muscle fatigue (they recommend adding about 300 grams of Epsom salt into a bathtub) Take your bath about 90 minutes before bedtime: according to a 2019 paper published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, this can help you fall asleep faster by initiating a sleep-inducing change in body temperature (the hot bath actually ends up lowering your core body temperature since your pores open up to cool you off, and this low body temperature helps signal processes in the nervous system associated with sleep) Sources for this article include: MedicalNewsToday.com, NIH.gov, Nature.com, NIH.gov, ClevelandClinic.org, ScienceDirect.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

The post Don’t Have Access to a Sauna? Research Reveals a SIMPLE Way to Simulate This “Heart Healthy” Habit appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

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Study Reveals Mechanisms Associated with Severe Blood Clotting in COVID-19 Patients

Don’t Have Access to a Sauna? Research Reveals a SIMPLE Way to Simulate This “Heart Healthy” Habit