Hi,
I was recommended an article that talks about Covid-19 being more of a blood disease than a respiratory one. The article has been taken down (Medium) but here's a link:
And here's a discussion with different sources about the same hypothesis:
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=9943612
I know this forum is not about Covid-19, but I thought some of you would be interested in reading this.
Best.
Hi Israel,
Thanks for sharing this, very interesting. I'm wondering if this changes the opinion on the safety of TKIs. Dasatinib is known to decrease red blood cells, which as the article says might not be a good idea. Unfortunately there is not much data available on the actual safety of TKIs for Covid-19 patients, but whatever practical results i heard about are not looking good at all. There is anecdotal (take it with a pinch of salt, it is from a forum) news of 2 patients in Italy, both of them passed away though seemingly not being in the high risk group (whatever that means), and 2 patients in Wuhan of which one passed away (this is from a published paper). That's 3/4 ending badly, if that represents reality... it would be good to hear about other cases if any, but CML is not a common disease.
Hi Israel and Thomas,
Please be careful when you share links like this.... If you go through the comments on the 'letsrun' forum - the second link you provided - you will see this following comment about the guy that published this 'article'
"He's not a doctor. He's a cryptocurrency promoter who read a single medical article and thinks that makes him an expert on an incredibly complicated novel viral pathogen that the collective medical community worldwide is struggling to understand."
That is not to say that some doctors who have been treating COVID-19 patients have not questioned how it is being treated and postulated that they may be treating it in an ineffective way. The particular NYC Dr. that postulated this also said that he was not saying that ventilators should not be used at all, he was asking for input from other ICU/emergency care doctors about how to treat this virus more effectively. I have mentioned him in another thread.
As for the idea that because dasatinib (or other TKIs) suppress red blood cells they therefore put people more at risk from developing serious complications from this virus.... this is not backed up by any significant real world data proving causation. CML expert clinicians have answered this question very clearly... "this is theoretical at best" and available data do not support dasatinib increases the risk of serious events from COVID-19 infection.
If you have your recent blood result to hand take a look at your HGb levels and compare them to 'normal' levels. Complications arising from contracting this virus seem follow an unusual path, but people treated with TKI therapies are thought to be at no greater risk than the 'normal' population.
If you are over a certain age profile and/or are physically not fit and/or have a co-morbidity such as cardio vascular disease/diabetes etc then your risk increases with each of these cohorts - TKI therapy not withstanding.
Hope these links enrich the debate and spark your interest in realizing how a solution can arise by looking at things from a different angle.
Regarding TKIs and the hypothesis, I personally didn't make any connections. No cause for worry. Learning Russian language is worrisome, I'm trying that and...let me tell you..
About the author, he explains how the hypothesis was built and who helped him. I didn't include this in the thread because it could sound I was on his side, or against him. The hypothesis is open to criticism as it is the current protocols put in place by experts.
Regardless, the best way to win a fight is by not having to fight at all. Stay safe and prepared.
