@01d7868f
Context here is very important. These were all older people (n=8) with pre-existing conditions, infected with the ancestral strain and mostly before vaccines were available (<May 2021). Some context for lay people and the extent to which these findings can or can't be generalized to our current situation would be helpful.
"The mean age was 69.6 years (median, 71; 59–84), and 75% of patients were male (6/8). Patients had coronary artery disease (8/8); three or more cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension (8/8), overweight or obesity (7/8), hyperlipidemia (7/8), type 2 diabetes (6/8) and chronic kidney disease (4/8); and some had a history of either myocardial infarction (1/8) or ischemic stroke (1/8)"
@ad39b1fd @01d7868f It's difficult to generalize to healthier people when the result depends on autopsy findings, but it is certainly true that we should be cautious not to overinterpret.
@4bba930f @01d7868f
Not to mention that they were infected with the ancestral strain, we're (likely) not vaxed and had pre-existing conditions! Every one of these is a massive reason not to generalize at all unless studies on people infected with the current strain, with no pre-existings, who've been either vaxed or had a prior infection corroborate these findings. Right?
I'm going to start pointing these things out because of personal frustrations with trying to understand my actual risk, today, and what, if any, precautions I and others should be taking.
@ad39b1fd @4bba930f @01d7868f that fact that it infects and replicates in the tissues directly is the takeaway and it's not confounded by any of the factors you've listed.
@73d52d20 @4bba930f @01d7868f
True.
This study is probably very relevant for people infected early on and suffering from long Covid. I should probably quit being concerned about it whether something has relevance for contemporary risk assessment.
@ad39b1fd
You should be looking to this study for information on how the virus works, not to adjudge your personal risk level or the function and effectiveness of vaccines.
@4bba930f @01d7868f
@08e022c6 @4bba930f @01d7868f
Sure. But this study is so different than what virtually everyone is facing now that it tells us how it "works" within very constrained subset of people, not how it works *now* for you or me. That's why if I were posting it I would add context.
Obviously doctors and scientists might be just posting for their colleagues and are under no obligation to take time to explain it to the rest of us lay people, so 🤷♂️
@ad39b1fd Indeed but these things can often indicate that milder versions of the same thing could well be happening in people who aren't feeling the effects yet but may down the line. Cardiologists are very busy because of Covid. @01d7868f
@b92b6163 @01d7868f
Yes, like I said in a comment to someone else, that's exactly what I'm wondering. I'd love to know if there are studies that are immediately relevant to the situation most of us are in now. That study is highly relevant to a large population of people who were infected early on, for sure.
It might be that I'm just paying attention to all the wrong people, but I keep only seeing studies done on patients with a bunch of confounding factors that make it impossible for me to adequately assess risk today.
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