A recent study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, associated with Harvard University, has yielded important insights into long COVID. The findings indicate that individuals experiencing various long COVID symptoms were found to be twice as likely to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 proteins in their blood compared to those without these symptoms.
Understanding Long COVID Symptoms
Long COVID is characterized by a range of symptoms, including fatigue, cognitive impairments often termed brain fog, muscle and joint pain, headaches, sleep disturbances, and gastrointestinal issues. The results of this study were published in the journal *Clinical Microbiology and Infection*.
Study Findings
The research showed that 43% of participants reporting long COVID symptoms affecting critical body systems, such as cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, and neurologic functions, tested positive for viral proteins between 1 to 14 months after their initial COVID-19 infection. In contrast, only 21% of individuals without long COVID symptoms exhibited similar biomarker positivity within the same timeframe.
Implications for Treatment
Zoe Swank, the lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s, mentioned that identifying individuals with persistent viral symptoms due to reservoirs of the virus could pave the way for treatment using antivirals to alleviate their symptoms.
Research Methodology
The study involved an analysis of 1,569 blood samples from 706 participants, including those from the NIH-supported Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery Initiative. Researchers utilized a highly sensitive test to detect both whole and partial proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, correlating this data with reported long COVID symptoms.
Questions Raised by the Study
Despite the notable findings, the study raises questions regarding the more than half of the patients experiencing diverse long COVID symptoms who did not test positive for persistent viral proteins. David Walt, a professor of pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the principal investigator of the study, suggested that multiple underlying factors could contribute to long COVID, potentially including immune system dysfunction triggered by the virus.
Ongoing Research
Ongoing studies are focusing on the role of persistent infection in long COVID by examining larger patient populations across various age groups and immune system responses. David C. Goff, a senior scientific program director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, highlighted the significance of these studies for understanding the mechanisms of long COVID, which could lead to the identification of effective treatment targets.
Future Directions
Additionally, researchers are utilizing a SARS-CoV-2 blood test in a national study, RECOVER-VITAL, to evaluate whether antiviral medications can aid recovery in long COVID patients by eliminating persistent viral proteins from their blood. The phenomenon of a virus causing prolonged symptoms post-infection is not exclusive to COVID, as similar post-infection syndromes have been reported with other viruses, including those responsible for Ebola and Zika.
Support for the Research
This research has received support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and contributions from Barbara and Amos Hostetter.
(Original source: Harvard Gazette)