Scientists in New York have discovered that "rogue" antibodies found in the blood of Covid-19 patients have the potential to cause cells to lose their clotting resistance.

A team from the University of Michigan discovered that patients with autoimmune disorders such as lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome had higher-than-expected levels of antiphospholipid autoantibodies, which can cause blood clots in the arteries and veins.

Antibodies are typically used to assist the body in neutralising infections. Autoantibodies are immune system antibodies that mistakenly target and occasionally damage the body's own systems and organs.

The research group discovered in 2020 that autoantibodies from patients with active Covid-19 infections caused "astonishing amounts of clotting" in mice. The team examined blood samples from nearly 250 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 for the new study. The scientists found that autoantibodies appear to stress the endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels, impairing their ability to prevent blood clots from forming. The results are released in Arthritis and Rheumatology.

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