A team led by the University of Sydney has identified red blood cell rupture at dying endothelial sites as a primary driver of microvascular obstruction in COVID-19, bypassing the expected role of fibrin and platelet clots. Cases of severe injury to the body’s smallest blood vessels emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, implicated in both sudden organ failure and persistent symptoms that span months. Tissue from affected patients reveals extensive endothelial damage across lung, heart, kidney and liver vasculature.
Red blood cell rupture, not clotting, drives vessel blockage in COVID-19, study finds
- Published Jun 10, 2025