Tuesday, January 25, 2022

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.

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...

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