Clues About Who Will Get Long COVID

A new study points to a particular antibody "signature" to predict the likelihood of lingering COVID-19 symptoms. View in browser

Image credits: Shutterstock Clues About Who Will Get Long COVID A new study points to a particular antibody "signature" to predict the likelihood of lingering COVID-19 symptoms. Brian Owens, Contributor January 25, 2022       (Inside Science) -- A significant proportion of people who contract COVID-19 -- around one-third, according to most estimates -- will go on to experience symptoms that can linger for months. Little is known about this post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS), more commonly known as "long COVID," but one group of researchers has discovered a simple blood test that, when combined with other factors, could help to predict who is most at risk. Long COVID is defined as any symptom that lasts for more than four weeks after a confirmed infection. It can vary widely, but some of the most common lasting symptoms are pain, fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, difficulty breathing, and a persistent cough. A variety of explanations have been suggested, including a lingering infection, a deconditioning of respiratory muscles, and immune dysfunction, but the cause remains unknown. And while long COVID mostly seems to affect people who had a more severe initial infection, those who had only mild cases can also experience extended symptoms... Read more Copyright 2022 American Institute of Physics. Inside Science syndicates its articles, columns, blogs and videos to news organizations. To initiate syndication, or request permission to republish our content (on a one-time or continuing basis), please contact Inside Science at insidescience@aip.org. News organizations seeking permission to republish Inside Science content must fully credit Inside Science as the original source of the content, include the author byline, and republish the original, unaltered form (excluding content titles, headlines, or sub-headlines). The reprint format can be seen here. Copyright conditions and usage terms are subject to change at any time without consent or any type of prior notice. To unsubscribe from all future mailings from Inside Science please click here. To manage your email subscriptions please click here.

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