A study comes to the conclusion: Poor intestinal health promotes a severe course of Covid-19.
The author provides ideas for therapy.
In addition to the infestation of the lungs, many patients with corona disease also have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
A study has now come to the conclusion: poor intestinal health promotes a more severe course of the disease.
It could shed light on why industrialized nations are hit particularly hard.
The study author concludes with a suggested treatment.
Seoul - The symptoms of corona disease can vary widely.
In most cases, respiratory symptoms are in the foreground, but gastrointestinal disorders are also common.
Symptoms of this can be vomiting, nausea or diarrhea.
If the gastrointestinal tract is affected, this also increases the severity of the disease, as the American Society for Microbiology has already announced.
This connection between intestinal health and the severity of a corona disease is repeatedly the subject of scientific studies.
Corona: The virus has docking options, especially in the intestine
The intestine is an important part of the immune system for humans, in which trillions of useful bacteria live that strengthen the immune system.
The main task of the gut-associated immune system is to fight off pathogens that cause illness.
If, however, there is now a "faulty colonization", also known as "dysbiosis", an imbalance occurs among the bacteria.
Causes for this can be, for example, alcohol consumption, medication such as antibiotics and cortisone or malnutrition.
They push back the beneficial bacteria and make the body more susceptible to disease.
The intestinal mucosa can then become thin to permeable and thus apparently also be a suitable docking point for the coronavirus.
For example, a team from the University Hospital Erlangen and colleagues from the Charité in Berlin found out that the docking points of the coronavirus are particularly high on the intestinal surface.
Corona: Study examines the connection between intestinal health and the course of the disease
To what extent poor intestinal health but now also a more severe course of Covid-19, the microbiologist Dr.
Heenam Stanley Kim from the University of Korea in Seoul in a review in the journal
mBIO of
the American Society for Microbiology.
"Dysbiosis and the associated leaky gut could worsen the severity of the infection because the coronavirus can get to the surface of the intestinal epithelium and, in particularly serious cases, through the bloodstream to the internal organs," said Kim.
He states that the diversity of the intestinal microbiota is reduced in corona disease, especially around the beneficial bacteria.
These include those species that contribute to the intestinal barrier.
Corona: Bad intestinal health, especially in industrialized countries - are these countries particularly affected as a result?
Findings from industrialized countries such as America or nations in Western Europe speak in favor of this observation.
The inhabitants of these areas often lived on highly processed foods.
Kim says: "One of the main characteristics of the western diet is the low fiber content."
This diet is one of the main causes of a bad gut microbiome and can therefore possibly also be a reason why these countries are particularly badly affected by the pandemic.
He emphasizes: "There seems to be a clear connection between the altered gut microbiome and severe COVID-19".
An infection with the corona virus could also cause changes in the intestinal flora, according to Kim.
Studies have shown a lower diversity of beneficial bacteria in intestinal samples from infected people.
Corona intestinal study offers an approach to therapy options
For Dr.
Heenam Stanley Kim but also an opportunity to take targeted treatment measures.
His idea: "A fecal microbiota transplant, next-generation probiotics that focus on butyrate-producing gut microbes, or simply increasing the daily intake of fiber could be considered to improve the gut health of Covid-19 patients ".
In other words: It could help to transfer a stool sample of a healthy intestinal flora to a seriously ill patient.
However, further studies still have to prove the connection between the corona course and intestinal health.
Until then, it helps to strive for a healthy lifestyle yourself.
