Scientists found blood proteins tied to long COVID symptoms, especially breathing issues.
Scientists in Sweden and the UK have found new signs in blood proteins that may explain why some people continue to suffer long after they’ve had COVID-19. The condition, known as long COVID, has been hard to pin down. People who have it often deal with breathing issues, fatigue, and brain fog that don’t go away for months, even years. But until now, there hasn’t been a clear way to diagnose or treat it. The researchers believe these new blood markers could change that.
The study looked at over 260 people who had caught COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, before vaccines were available. Some of these people recovered without any lasting symptoms. Others, though, developed long COVID, with serious breathing problems. When scientists looked at the blood from both groups, they noticed something important. The group still struggling with symptoms had a group of proteins in their blood that wasn’t found in the others. These proteins are often linked to inflammation and damage in the lungs. That may help explain why these people are still having trouble breathing, even long after the infection cleared up.
The blood tests used in this study were very detailed. The team was able to measure thousands of different proteins, using advanced lab tools. They also studied the immune systems of the people in the study. When they looked at how the immune cells were behaving, they saw more signs of stress and damage in those with long COVID. This adds to the picture of what’s going on inside the body when someone doesn’t fully recover from COVID-19.
What makes these findings stand out is that they didn’t come from just one place. The researchers used blood samples from both Sweden and the UK. That helped them see that the results were consistent across different groups of people. It also strengthens the idea that these proteins really are linked to long COVID and not just random.
Right now, doctors don’t have a single test they can use to say whether someone has long COVID. That makes it tough for patients who feel sick but can’t prove what’s going on. These new findings might change that. If doctors can test for these blood proteins, they might be able to spot long COVID sooner. That could also open the door for new treatments, targeted at the specific pathways in the body that are causing harm.
This is especially important for people who have trouble breathing long after a COVID infection. Breathing issues are one of the most common and difficult parts of long COVID. If these blood proteins are linked to lung damage, then future treatments could be focused directly on that problem.
The research team plans to keep digging. They want to look at lung and gut tissue to find out exactly where the proteins are coming from. That could tell them even more about how the disease works and where the damage is happening. It might also show whether the body is still inflamed or fighting off a virus that’s no longer there.
This work was funded by several medical research groups, including foundations in Sweden and the US. While some of the scientists have worked with drug companies in the past, none of those connections were tied to this particular study.
Long COVID still holds many unanswered questions, but studies like this are helping piece together the puzzle. The more we learn about the long-term effects of COVID-19, the closer we get to helping people recover and move on with their lives.
Sources:
Researchers identify blood biomarkers linked to Long COVID symptoms
Identification of soluble biomarkers that associate with distinct manifestations of long COVID
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