Covid-19 symptoms: ‘Nodules’ found in patients’ EYES

Covid-19 symptoms: ‘Nodules’ found in patients’ EYES

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Covid-19 can cause potentially dangerous’ nodules’ in patients’ EYES due to inflammation triggered by the virus, warn scientists

  • French doctors performed MRI scans on 129 severely ill Covid-19 patients
  • They found evidence of ocular nodules in nine of these hospitalized individuals
  • What causes them and their long-term health impact is currently unknown

By Joe Pinkstone for Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

From dry cough to high fever, it is known that the coronavirus is related to a series of unpleasant symptoms.

Now, a new study has revealed another potential side effect – nodules in the eyeball.

The researchers warned that coronavirus infection can trigger inflammation of the eyeballs and lead to the formation of mysterious nodules on the back of the organ.

Experts still do not know what causes these nodules or the impact they have on the patient’s long-term health.

However, a study of 129 French patients who had severe Covid-19 and underwent MRI scans revealed that nine of them (seven percent) suffered abnormalities.

Scroll down to see the video

Photographed the magnetic resonance of a 56-year-old man with severe COVID-19. The patient had been admitted to the intensive care unit for 20 days when an MRI was performed. He was on a respirator and in the prone position. This photo shows nodules on the back of the eyeball in the macular region (white arrowhead) and in the extramacular region (black arrowhead). The arrow on the right points to a detached retina

Photographed the magnetic resonance of a 56-year-old man with severe COVID-19. The patient had been admitted to the intensive care unit for 20 days when an MRI was performed. He was on a respirator and in the prone position. This photo shows nodules on the back of the eyeball in the macular region (white arrowhead) and in the extramacular region (black arrowhead). The arrow on the right points to a detached retina

Eight of the study patients were at some point treated in intensive care.

“We showed that some patients with severe COVID-19 from the French cohort COVID-19 had one or more nodules from the posterior pole of the globe,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Augustin Lecler, of the University of Paris.

“This is the first time that these findings have been described using magnetic resonance imaging.”

The images produced by magnetic resonance imaging reveal at least one nodule in the macular region of the organ in affected individuals. This region is an integral part of the central vision.

The researchers believe the nodules may be linked to inflammation triggered by the virus, a common manifestation of the disease that attacks multiple organs.

In the photo, another magnetic resonance image of the same French 56-year-old Covid patient, the tip of the black arrow shows a lump in the extramacular region of the organ of vision. Experts still don't know what the causes or the impact they have on the patient's long-term health

In the photo, another magnetic resonance image of the same French 56-year-old Covid patient, the tip of the black arrow shows a lump in the extramacular region of the organ of vision. Experts still don’t know what the causes or the impact they have on the patient’s long-term health

Scientists investigate whether coronavirus patients with neurological symptoms are affected in the long term

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, is known to infect the brain and affect the body’s neuron network.

Now scientists are investigating the long-term impact of these symptoms, to see if the virus causes lasting neurological damage.

Researchers at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, are tracking the progress of 19 people who contracted the virus last year and developed neurological symptoms.

The severity of the disease in the cohort ranged from mild to critical and all participants recovered, with symptoms ranging from delirium to coma.

Eight people in the study (42 percent) had ‘altered mental status’ and eight also had headaches as a result of their Covid-19.

But they also theorize that the problem may be caused by patients lying on their backs in the hospital, which inadvertently prevents the veins from draining.

Of the nine patients with ocular nodules, two were diabetic, six were obese and two had hypertension.

The team behind the discovery also speculates that the nodules may be connected to the intubation for ventilation.

“Our study advocates screening all patients hospitalized in the ICU for severe COVID-19,” said Dr. Lecler.

‘We believe that these patients should receive specific eye protection treatments.’

The researchers are conducting follow-up clinical and MRI scans on survivors to monitor the nodules and see if they carry any clinical consequences, such as loss of vision or impairment of the visual field.

They are also conducting MRI scans on new patients with severe COVID-19 from the second and third waves of the pandemic, using more stringent tests.

Meanwhile, the effects in patients with moderate Covid are currently under investigation.

Dr. Lecler added: ‘We have launched a prospective study with dedicated high-resolution images to explore the eye and orbit in patients with mild to moderate Covid.

‘Therefore, we will be able to know whether our findings were specific to patients with severe Covid or not.’

The results were published in the journal Radiology.

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