Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Jun 15, 2024 23:14:43 GMT
Long COVID leaves telltale traces in the blood - Published April 8, 2024
People with long COVID have distinct patterns of inflammation detectable in the blood, which could potentially be targeted with immune therapies.
Findings from the largest UK study of patients hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection show that long COVID leads to ongoing inflammation which can be detected in the blood.
In an analysis of more than 650 people who had been hospitalised with severe COVID-19, patients with prolonged symptoms showed evidence of immune system activation.
The exact pattern of this activation varied depending on the sort of symptoms that they predominantly had – for example, mainly fatigue or cognitive impairment.
The research, led by Imperial College London, suggests that existing drugs which modulate the body’s immune system could be helpful in treating long COVID and should be investigated in future clinical trials.