2024-01-20 14:08:01
The results of the study carried out by Swiss researchers show that patients with long Covid have tissue damage in their blood as well as damage to their red blood cells and platelets.
While many have moved on from Covid-19, some are still suffering from symptoms associated with the virus, several months following contracting it. They represent 10 to 20% of people affected by the disease, according to WHO figures. The results of a study published this Friday, January 19 by Swiss researchers in the journal Science might improve the diagnosis of this disease and the management of patients.
By analyzing the blood of 113 people with Covid-19, 40 of whom were affected by persistence of symptoms, and 39 healthy people, researchers discovered a modification of the proteins present in the blood of patients with long Covid due to ‘increased complement activation’. The latter is part of the immune system and helps fight infections.
“In patients with long Covid, the complement system does not return to the resting state as it should,” explained Onur Boyman, director of the immunology clinic at the University Hospital of Zurich and responsible for the study, to the Swiss press agency Keystone-ATS cited by Le Temps.
“A piece of the puzzle” discovered
As a result, these patients presented with numerous tissue damage in the blood, impaired coagulation or even damage to their red blood cells and platelets. In fact, by remaining activated the complement system “attacks healthy cells in different organs and damages or destroys them”, commented the researcher.
“With this discovery, we have found another piece of the long Covid puzzle, which also explains why this disease can cause such varied symptoms,” added Onur Boyman.
A basis for a better diagnosis?
For the researchers behind the study, these results might serve as a “basis for new diagnostic solutions” for long Covid which has so far been difficult to identify and “illuminate treatment directions”.
But the process used for these analyzes is complex and cannot be used in all hospitals, the immunologist clarified to the newspaper.
If symptoms of Covid-19 persist, it is advisable to consult a doctor. If there is no treatment for long Covid, there are treatments for its symptoms, which can include respiratory rehabilitation or even progressive re-training for exercise, recalls Health Insurance.
1705788732
#Swiss #study #shows #dysregulation #immune #system #patients
