Long COVID: Could mono virus or fat cells be playing roles? - The Associated Press

A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher person ne'er met successful person, but they stock a salient pandemic bond.

Plagued by eerily akin symptoms, the 3 women are credited with describing, naming and helping bring agelong COVID into the public’s consciousness successful aboriginal 2020.

Rachel Pope, of Liverpool, took to Twitter successful precocious March 2020 to picture her bedeviling symptoms, past unnamed, aft a coronavirus infection. Elisa Perego successful Italy archetypal utilized the word “long COVID,” successful a May tweet that year. Amy Watson successful Portland, Oregon, got inspiration successful naming her Facebook enactment radical from the trucker headdress she’d been wearing, and “long hauler” soon became portion of the pandemic lexicon.

Nearly 3 years into the pandemic, scientists are inactive trying to fig retired wherefore immoderate radical get agelong COVID and wherefore a tiny information — including the 3 women — person lasting symptoms.

Millions of radical worldwide person had agelong COVID, reporting assorted symptoms including fatigue, lung problems, and encephalon fog and different neurological symptoms. Evidence suggests astir retrieve substantially wrong a year, but caller information amusement that it has contributed to much than 3,500 U.S. deaths.

Here’s immoderate of the latest evidence:

WOMEN MORE AT RISK?

Many studies and anecdotal grounds suggest that women are much apt than men to make agelong COVID.

There could beryllium biologic reasons.

Women’s immune systems mostly equine stronger reactions to viruses, bacteria, parasites and different germs, noted Sabra Klein, a Johns Hopkins prof who studies immunity.

Women are besides overmuch much apt than men to person autoimmune diseases, wherever the assemblage mistakenly attacks its ain steadfast cells. Some scientists judge agelong COVID could effect from an autoimmune effect triggered by the virus.

Women’s bodies besides thin to person much abdominous insubstantial and emerging probe suggests the coronavirus whitethorn fell successful abdominous aft infection. Scientists besides are studying whether women’s fluctuating hormone levels whitethorn summation the risks.

Another imaginable factor: Women are much apt than men to question wellness attraction and often much attuned to changes successful their bodies, Klein noted.

“I don’t deliberation we should disregard that,” she said. Biology and behaviour are astir apt some astatine play, Klein said.

It whitethorn frankincense beryllium nary coincidence that it was 3 women who helped radiance the archetypal airy connected agelong COVID.

Pope, 46, started chronicling what she was experiencing successful March 2020: flu-like symptoms, past her lungs, bosom and joints were affected. After a period she started having immoderate “OK” days, but symptoms persisted.

She and immoderate likewise sick colleagues connected with Perego connected Twitter. “We started benignant of coming unneurotic due to the fact that it was virtually the lone spot wherever we could bash that,” Pope said. “In 2020, we would gag that we’d get unneurotic for Christmas and person a party,” Pope said. “Then evidently it went on, and I deliberation we stopped joking.”

Watson started her virtual agelong haulers radical that April. The others soon learned of that nickname and embraced it.

MONO VIRUS

Several studies suggest the ubiquitous Epstein-Barr microorganism could play a relation successful immoderate cases of agelong COVID.

Inflammation caused by coronavirus corruption tin activate herpes viruses, which stay successful the assemblage aft causing an acute infection, said Dr. Timothy Henrich, a microorganism adept astatine the University of California, San Francisco.

Epstein-Barr microorganism is among the astir communal of these herpes viruses: An estimated 90% of the U.S. colonisation has been infected with it. The microorganism tin origin mononucleosis oregon symptoms that whitethorn beryllium dismissed arsenic a cold.

Henrich is among researchers who person recovered immune markers signaling Epstein-Barr reactivation successful the humor of agelong COVID patients, peculiarly those with fatigue.

Not each agelong COVID patients person these markers. But it’s imaginable that Epstein-Barr is causing symptoms successful those who do, though scientists accidental much survey is needed.

Some scientists besides judge that Epstein-Barr triggers chronic fatigue syndrome, a information that bears galore similarities to agelong COVID, but that besides is unproven.

OBESITY

Obesity is simply a hazard origin for terrible COVID-19 infections and scientists are trying to recognize why.

Stanford University researchers are among those who person recovered grounds that the coronavirus tin infect abdominous cells. In a caller study, they recovered the microorganism and signs of inflammation successful abdominous insubstantial taken from radical who had died from COVID.

Lab tests showed that the microorganism tin reproduce successful abdominous tissue. That raises the anticipation that abdominous insubstantial could service arsenic a “reservoir,” perchance fueling agelong COVID.

Could removing abdominous insubstantial dainty oregon forestall immoderate cases of agelong COVID? It’s a tantalizing question, but the probe is preliminary, said Dr. Catherine Blish, a Stanford infectious diseases prof and a elder writer of the study.

Scientists astatine the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center are studying leptin, a hormone produced by abdominous cells that tin power the body’s immune effect and beforehand inflammation.

They program to survey whether injections of a manufactured antibody could trim leptin levels — and successful crook inflammation from coronavirus infections oregon agelong COVID.

“We person a bully technological ground unneurotic with immoderate preliminary information to reason that we mightiness beryllium connected the close track,” said Dr. Philipp Scherer.

DURATION

It has been estimated that astir 30% of radical infected with the coronavirus volition make agelong COVID, based connected information from earlier successful the pandemic.

Most radical who person lingering, recurrent oregon caller symptoms aft corruption volition retrieve aft astir 3 months. Among those with symptoms astatine 3 months, astir 15% volition proceed to person symptoms for astatine slightest 9 much months, according to a caller survey successful the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Figuring retired who’s astatine hazard for years-long symptoms “is specified a analyzable question,” said Dr. Lawrence Purpura, an infectious illness adept astatine Columbia University.

Those with terrible infections look to beryllium much astatine hazard for agelong COVID, though it tin besides impact radical with mild infections. Those whose infections origin terrible lung harm including scarring whitethorn acquisition breathlessness, coughing oregon fatigue for much than a year. And a smaller radical of patients with mild archetypal COVID-19 infections whitethorn make neurologic symptoms for much than a year, including chronic fatigue and encephalon fog, Purpura said.

“The bulk of patients volition yet recover,” helium said. “It’s important for radical to cognize that.”

It’s tiny consolation for the 3 women who helped the satellite admit agelong COVID.

Perego, 44, developed heart, lung and neurologic problems and remains earnestly ill.

She knows that scientists person learned a batch successful a abbreviated time, but she says “there is simply a gap” betwixt agelong COVID probe and aesculapian care.

“We request to construe technological cognition into amended attraction and policy,” she said.

Watson, approaching 50, says she has “never had immoderate benignant of recovery.” She has had terrible migraines, positive digestive, nervus and ft problems. Recently she developed terrible anemia.

She wishes the aesculapian assemblage had a much organized attack to treating agelong COVID. Doctors accidental not knowing the underlying origin oregon causes makes that difficult.

“I conscionable privation my beingness back,” Watson said, “and it’s not looking similar that’s each that possible.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives enactment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely liable for each content.