Research from the University of Manchester has shown for the first time that malfunctioning behavior of a type of immune cell is linked to specific symptoms of long COVID, the university writes in a press release.
Researchers from The University of Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have found abnormal behavior in monocytes. This could be used as a target for drugs to treat symptoms of lung COVID, such as fatigue or shortness of breath.
‘Important first step’
Dr. Elizabeth Mann (University of Manchester) said their work finding a link between monocyte function and specific long-term COVID-19 symptoms could be an important first step towards potential treatments.
The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, included 71 hospitalized patients with acute COVID-19 and 142 follow-up patients visiting outpatient clinics months after hospital discharge. Using blood samples, they examined key monocyte migration patterns in the acute illness that persisted for up to nine months after hospital discharge. The researchers were able to distinguish long COVID patients with shortness of breath and unresolved lung damage from those with persistent fatigue, and from asymptomatic patients.
Dr. Mann explained that long COVID can lead to disabling symptoms such as extreme fatigue, myalgia, brain fog, depression, fibrotic lung disease and pulmonary vascular disease that can persist for many months or even years after infection. Since treatment options for long-term COVID are currently limited, their research could be an important first step towards possible treatments.
What is the Inflammasome?
The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex responsible for regulating inflammation in the body. When activated by infection or injury, it produces pro-inflammatory cytokines that can activate the immune system. Targeting the inflammasome is a promising strategy for new therapies for severe COVID-19, but caution should be exercised due to its opposing protective and aggravating functions in SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Start-up wants to tackle chronic fatigue and lung covid complaints with an app
Fatigue, severe fatigue, is a form of exhaustion that is characteristic of certain chronic diseases. There are many patients who suffer from it.
Differences between severe COVID-19 and lung COVID
Another study was recently performed on differences in monocyte subsets between severe COVID-19 and long COVID. The results suggest that interruption of the CX3CR1/fractalkine pathway could be a potential therapeutic target to reduce the survival of S1-containing nonclassical monocytes and associated morbidity in long-term COVID patients.
Conclusion
The Manchester researchers have linked monocytes to the symptoms of long covid and are now exploring the development of therapies based on this research. Their findings have uncovered new pathways to which new therapeutic options in long-term COVID patients could be targeted. This work provides an important first step towards finding treatments for people suffering from lung COVID.