Coronavirus Residues Might Be Causing Long COVID: New Study

A new study published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal has suggested that leftover Coronavirus residues might be responsible for long COVID, or the post-COVID condition that persists in some people even weeks, months, and years after the disease has occurred [1].

Long COVID or post-COVID syndrome is the term used to describe the impact of COVID-19 that continue for weeks or months beyond the initial illness, with some experts saying it to be over four weeks and some say it takes more than 12 weeks [2].

Some of the common long COVID symptoms are the results of your being battered down by fighting off the coronavirus infection and slowly recovering. During this period, you are most likely to feel fatigued, face breathing difficulties and so on.

Coronavirus Residues Might Be Causing Long COVID: Findings

• The study points out that the spike protein of the virus was found to remain in the blood of people with long-term COVID up to one year after infection.
• According to the study, people who have fully recovered from COVID do not have this spike protein in their bodies.
• Researchers have concluded that these leftover residues of the virus may adversely affect the immune system, causing complications such as blood clots and inflammation, resulting in several complications leading to prolonged COVID.
• As part of the study, plasma samples were collected from 63 adults who had been infected with COVID, of whom 37 had been diagnosed with long COVID.
• There were 30 females among those who had long COVID, reflecting the increased prevalence of persistent symptoms in women following COVID infection.
• Even months after recovering from COVID infection, more than 10% of those infected may experience long-term COVID symptoms such as headaches, confusion, memory problems, and shortness of breath.
• Over 144 million people worldwide suffer from long-term COVID conditions, requiring a combined approach to managing this health concern [3].

"Active viral reservoirs could cause PASC or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 symptoms, but circulating spike may also give rise to symptoms. Similar to bacterial superantigens, SARS-CoV-2 spike contains structural motifs that skew the T cell receptor repertoire, possibly accounting for the hyperinflammatory response observed in severe COVID-19 and MIS-C patients," the study says [4].

On A Final Note...

The effect of Long COVID symptoms on the organs is different from person to person, depending upon their lifestyles (sedentary or active), their immune system and the functioning of their organs [5].

Consult your doctor for the right advice, and they may recommend lifestyle advice, including rest, sleep hygiene, a healthy diet, vitamin D, multivitamins, moderating alcohol intake, and smoking cessation as supportive measures.