Research Says Intestinal Bacteria May Affect Severity Of Covid 19
Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : January 14, 2021According to the latest research, intestinal Bacteria is said to play a major role in determining how sick patients get from various illnesses.
In this regard, scientists have now discovered that the intestinal Bacteria is also connected with the way coronavirus affects the body.
Even though coronavirus is primarily a respiratory disease, the GI tract also plays an important role in how severely the person can get affected and how easily they can recover after getting infected.
Research Says Intestinal Bacteria May Affect Severity Of Covid 19
In this regard, when the gut bacteria composition in people affected by covid-19 was compared with those who were not affected by covid-19, there was a significant difference.
Scientists have come to the conclusion that the gut Bacteria is likely to remain significantly altered in those patients who have recovered from covid-19.
Patients who required hospitalization and had severe symptoms often show symptoms of high blood plasma levels of inflammatory markers in the body.
This situation usually happens during the GI tract infection, and the altered gut bacteria composition in covid-19 is said to be the main reason for this condition.
The body has a healthy dose of cytokines, the term molecules which help the cells to communicate with other cells in the body.
This mechanism is crucial in order to maintain a healthy immune function in the body. However, when the body has too many cytokines, it can result in health complications.
In this regard, it was observed that the gut bacteria composition is associated with the intensity of the immune response in the body to coronavirus. In the same way, this also has an impact in determining how severe the symptoms could develop in the body.
Scientists believe that this has a direct connection with the gut bacteria, and further studies are needed in this regard to understand why some patients develop severe symptoms due to covid-19.
Researchers believe that if they are able to establish a direct correlation between the intestinal health and symptoms associated with covid-19, it will be a major breakthrough in treating patients suffering from the covid-19 infection.
It is important to understand at this stage that the intestine contains a number of good bacteria that are needed to digest the food in the proper manner.
Apart from that, it also helps in breaking down various food particles in the body and delivers the right amount of nutrition available in the foods. Given this situation, when there is an imbalance in the gut bacteria in the intestine, the body cannot get enough nutrition, and it becomes prone to various illnesses.
As the covid-19 affects different aspects of the body, the gut bacteria is significantly altered after suffering from the covid-19 infection.
Scientists are of the opinion that when the gut Bacteria is properly maintained in the body, it will be able to reduce the severity of conditions developed due to coronavirus.
Even though this is not scientifically proven at the moment, there appears to be a direct relationship between the health of the intestine and the variety of symptoms in covid-19 patients.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.