(Reuters) – Damage done by the coronavirus to the membranes of red blood cells that carry oxygen may explain why many COVID-19 patients have alarmingly low oxygen levels, according to new research.
Specifically, the virus attacks the membranes’ most abundant protein, called band 3, said senior researcher Angelo D’Alessandro of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The protein is critical to stabilize red cell membrane structures, regulate red cell metabolism and stabilize the cell’s processing of hemoglobin, the substance that transports and then releases the oxygen. By disrupting the interaction of band 3 with hemoglobin, the virus could impair red cells’ capacity to deliver oxygen, D’Alessandro said.
“Since red cells circulate for up to 120 days, this could also help explain why it can take months to recover from the virus … until enough new red cells without this damage are made and circulate,” D’Alessandro told Reuters, adding that he became infected in March. “It took me three weeks to heal from the infection, but I am still recovering slowly,” he said.
D’Alessandro’s team posted their findings on Tuesday on medRxiv, ahead of peer review.
