Scientists may be on the path to understanding the long-lasting coronavirus after identifying changes in blood proteins seen in people with long-term symptoms from the virus.
the study Published in Science magazine Researchers on Thursday found that patients experiencing long-term symptoms of coronavirus infection have a protein that suggests parts of their immune systems remain active after infection.
Experts say the findings could lead to diagnostic tests and treatments for the long-lasting coronavirus, which causes people to experience persistent fatigue, brain fog, chest pain, stomach problems and a wide range of other symptoms. That’s what it means.
The study focused on 113 coronavirus patients and 39 healthy controls. After six months, 40 patients developed long-lasting features of the new coronavirus.
Blood samples from these patients contained a group of proteins that indicate the body’s complement system, which is part of the immune system, remains on high alert long after the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr. Onur Boijman, a professor of immunology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and one of the study authors, said that without fighting the coronavirus, the complement system continues to operate and “starts to damage healthy cells.”
Experts say the resulting tissue damage and microcoagulation in the blood can reduce the levels of oxygen and nutrients delivered to various organs, potentially prolonging coronavirus symptoms.
“For example, if your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen, obviously you’re going to have a lot of problems like memory, brain fog, fatigue,” said Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University. Akiko Iwasaki, a professor at Faculty of Medicine, he told NBC News.
Dr. Monica Verduzco Gutierrez, director of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and longtime director of the center’s coronavirus clinic, told NBC News that the study is a major advance in virus research. he said.
“Understanding the long-term mechanisms of COVID-19 is the way to find treatments,” she said.
About 14% of adults report experiencing prolonged COVID-19 infection, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.