Preferential and sustained platelet activation in COVID-19 survivors with mental disorders, 2024, Maugeri et al.

Preferential and sustained platelet activation in COVID-19 survivors with mental disorders
Maugeri, Norma; De Lorenzo, Rebecca; Mazza, Mario Gennaro; Palladini, Mariagrazia; Ciceri, Fabio; Rovere-Querini, Patrizia; Manfredi, Angelo A.; Benedetti, Francesco

Pre-existing mental disorders are considered a risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, possibly because of higher vascular burden. Moreover, an unconventional platelet activation characterizes COVID-19 and contributes to inflammatory and thrombotic manifestations. In the light of the inflammation theory of mental disorders, we hypothesized that patients with mental disorders could be sensitive to the SARS-CoV-2 elicited platelet activation.

We investigated platelet activation in 141 COVID-19 survivors at one month after clearance of the virus, comparing subjects with or without an established pre-existing diagnosis of mental disorder according to the DSM-5. We found that platelets from patients with a positive history of psychiatric disorder underwent unconventional activation more frequently than conventional activation or no activation at all. Such preferential activation was not detected when platelets from patients without a previous psychiatric diagnosis were studied. When testing the effects of age, sex, and psychiatric history on the platelet activation, GLZM multivariate analysis confirmed the significant effect of diagnosis only.

These findings suggest a preferential platelet activation during acute COVID-19 in patients with a pre-existing psychiatric disorder, mediated by mechanisms associated with thromboinflammation. This event could have contributed to the higher risk of severe outcome in the psychiatric population.

Link | PDF (Nature Scientific Reports) [Open Access]

 

See also —

AC-73 and Syrosingopine Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Entry into Megakaryocytes by Targeting CD147 and MCT4 (2024, Viruses)

Unconventional CD147‐dependent platelet activation elicited by SARS‐CoV‐2 in COVID‐19 (2022, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis)

SARS-CoV-2 Entry: At the Crossroads of CD147 and ACE2 (2021, Cells)

CD147-spike protein is a novel route for SARS-CoV-2 infection to host cells (2020, Nature Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy)