Immune response in opposition to bystander virus, not SARS-CoV-2 causes lengthy Covid: Study

Immune inflammatory response not in opposition to COVID-19, however in opposition to a standard, innocent, dormant “bystander” virus current within the physique, driving a cytokine storm, could also be behind lengthy Covid, a brand new analysis has discovered. Analysing Covid-patients’ blood samples, researchers discovered that 3 months after being hospitalised for extreme an infection, there was no speedy improve within the immune cells concentrating on SARS-CoV-2, however a rise in these concentrating on the dormant Cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV is normally innocent however can keep in your physique for all times as soon as contaminated with it. (Also learn: Long Covid patients suffer from persistent inflammation: Study)

The discovering indicated that the extended irritation at 3 months in extreme sufferers will not be pushed by SARS-CoV-2 however as an alternative could also be “bystander driven”.

“Long Covid occurs in one out of ten COVID-19 cases, but we still don’t understand what causes it.

“Several theories proposed embody whether or not it is perhaps triggered by an inflammatory immune response in the direction of the virus that’s nonetheless persisting in our physique, sending our immune system into overdrive or the reactivation of latent viruses comparable to human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein Barr virus (EBV),” said Laura Rivino, senior lecturer at the University of Bristol, UK, and the study’s lead author.

The researchers analysed blood samples of 63 patients hospitalised for mild, moderate or severe COVID-19 infection at the start of the pandemic when vaccines were not available.

The study also found patients with severe COVID-19 to display a higher number of long Covid symptoms compared to mild and moderate patients, even as the team’s analysis revealed no direct association between long Covid symptoms and Covid-related immune inflammatory responses.

Further, 79 per cent of all the patients reported at least one ongoing long Covid symptom with breathlessness and excessive fatigue being the most common, the study published in the journal eLife said.

The significant dysfunction found in the immune profiles of severe patients at 3 months indicated that inflammation may persist even for months post-recovery, even though results showed the inflammation in these patients to resolve over time.

At 12 months, the researchers found, both the immune profiles and inflammatory levels of patients with severe disease were similar to those of mild and moderate patients.

“Our findings recommend that extended immune activation and lengthy Covid might correlate independently with extreme COVID-19.

“Larger studies should be conducted looking at both a larger number of patients, including if possible vaccinated and non-vaccinated COVID-19 patients, and measuring a larger range of markers and cytokines.

“Understanding whether or not irritation and immune activation affiliate with lengthy Covid would enable us to grasp whether or not concentrating on these components could also be a helpful remedy for this debilitating situation,” stated Rivino.

This story has been printed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content. Only the headline has been modified.