2024-02-18 10:14:01
It is estimated that several million people suffer from long-term consequences of a corona infection. Now there are new clues about possible causes.
The WHO estimates that between 10 and 20 percent of those once infected with Corona could suffer from Long Covid. However, there has been little progress in diagnosis and treatment so far. New studies are now providing initial information about the causes of the symptoms. This increases the hope of being able to better understand other chronic diseases.
Long Covid
Long Covid refers to a whole range of health problems that affect patients for weeks and months after a corona infection. The most common are chronic exhaustion, also known as fatigue, difficulty breathing, muscle pain and brain fog.
A study published in January in the journal “Science” was able to detect crucial differences in the proteins in the blood of more than 110 Long Covid patients. Swiss immunologist Onur Boyman, co-author of the study, considers this discovery to be a “crucial piece of the puzzle” in clarifying the question of why the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in some people’s bodies for so long.
Long Covid “measurable”
Part of the immune system, the so-called complement system, which normally fights infection by killing the infected cells, remains active in people with Long Covid and continues to attack – but now healthy cells. According to researchers, this is how it damages the tissue.
Boyman emphasizes that the complement system of Long Covid patients returns to normal as soon as they recover from Corona. That suggests a close connection. “This shows that Long Covid is a disease that can actually be measured,” he says. He hopes this new insight can lead to the development of a test.
Scientists who were not involved in the study point out that the “misregulation” of the complement system cannot explain all the diverse manifestations of the long-term consequences of corona. Nevertheless, it is “great that studies coming out now contain initial clues to explanations for Long Covid,” says Claire Steves, professor of aging and health at King’s College London.
Abnormalities in muscle tissue
Long Covid patient Lucia from the USA, who does not want to give her last name, points to another recent publication in the journal Nature that shows abnormalities in muscle tissue and malfunctions in mitochondria – the power plants of cells – in Long Covid patients. stated. This could explain exhaustion after even the smallest exertions.
For Lucia, a member of a patient-led research group, climbing the stairs to her apartment has been a daily struggle since she became ill with coronavirus. When she contracted Covid in March 2020, she could not have imagined that it would affect “every aspect” of her life – “including socially and financially”.
Lucia emphasizes that people like her don’t just have to deal with numerous health problems. They also suffered from the fact that their social environment and doctors did not believe them or did not take them seriously.
Moral support crucial
A study published in February in the British Medical Journal shows how important moral support is for patients. Afterwards, the quality of life of Long Covid patients improved through group rehabilitation measures.
For Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, Long Covid is so difficult to understand because it is a “multi-system disease.” “We are trained to think of diseases in terms of organ systems,” for example heart or lung disease, he says.
Long Covid initiative launched
Solving the mystery of Long Covid would have far-reaching benefits. New treatment approaches could also help in the fight against other diseases such as chronic fatigue or long-lasting flu symptoms.
For so long, researchers and doctors can only recommend regular corona vaccinations in order to reduce the risk of Long Covid. The Federal Ministry of Health has launched the Long Covid initiative to at least provide information about new research findings and contact points.