Prof. Chantal Raherison-Semjen is president of the French-language pneumology society (SPLF) and head of the Bordeaux CHU pneumology department.
LE FIGARO. - Do we know more today about pulmonary involvement by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus?
Pr Chantal RAHERISON-SEMJEN. - Yes, we know that it is both a respiratory infection and a disease of the vessels. In the lungs, there is alveolar damage. The alveoli are the small bags where respiratory exchanges take place (oxygen enters and carbon dioxide leaves). In Covid-19 there is diffuse inflammation with edema and, in some cases, the multiplication of cells called fibroblasts which cause fibrosis, that is to say stiffening of the alveolar wall.
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Is it specific to Covid-19?
No, this mechanism is not specific, it is also observed in other viral or bacterial infections after the occurrence of respiratory infections such as influenza, Sars-CoV-1, or Mers-CoV.
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