Researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) have created a new way of detecting the presence of the Covid-19 in the human body. The technique uses the tears of the patient with suspected infection to determine the presence or absence of the disease.
To carry out the tests, it is necessary to collect samples of the tear fluid with a cotton swab, the same as the one used in the withdrawal made through the nose or mouth. The study has been published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine for review.
When analyzing samples from patients hospitalized at the Hospital das Clínicas in Bauru (SP) with a diagnosis of the disease confirmed by conventional methods, scientists detected SARS-CoV-2 on the ocular surface with this type of test in 18.2% of cases.
Of 61 hospitalized patients, samples were analyzed from 33 of them diagnosed with COVID-19 and another 14 without the virus, obtained during the first half of 2021, when the main variants circulating in São Paulo were gamma and delta.
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Still, according to the research, individuals whose tears tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had lower CHF compared to the rest (indicating a higher probability of death in ten years) and higher mortality rates.
“We thought that the tear would be easier to perform, more tolerable. We managed to show that it is a path. A limitation in this study is that we do not know whether the amount of collected tears influences the positivity or not”.
Luiz Fernando Manzoni Lourençone, theCorresponding author of the article, professor at the Faculty of Dentistry of Bauru and at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, both at USP.
Now, the group of researchers started a new line focused on detecting diseases through tests and examinations related to the eyes. The goal is to work with other types of viruses in addition to SARS-CoV-2.
“There are other viruses that have yet to be studied in Brazil. We intend to dedicate ourselves to finding solutions and improving the quality of life for patients. We will also analyze other viral conditions that become systemic”, concluded the professor.