Analysis of blood samples from patients with persistent Covid, the causes of which were still unknown, has shown that the most likely cause is changes in proteins in the blood serum
The results will initially serve to have biomarkers that enable the diagnosis of long-term Covid disease and can also be used to develop a treatment for this disease.
Not everyone fully recovers from COVID-19. Approximately 20% of diagnosed patients and about 5% of all people infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop persistent symptomsCalled Long Covid, which can last for many months.
Symptoms of long Covid can include fatigue, post-exercise malaise and cognitive impairment and can affect multiple organs. Although previous studies have shown that patients with long-Covid show signs of immunodeficiency, persistent activation of immune cells and the production of autoimmune antibodies, the underlying cause of long-Covid is not well understood and the diagnostic biomarkers of the disease are not well defined .
Even for stubborn Covid, there is currently no effective treatment. Carlo Cervia-Hasler and colleagues present here the results of a longitudinal analysis of blood serum from 113 patients who have fully recovered from COVID-19 or developed persistent Covid, as well as healthy controls. Using high-throughput proteomic methods, Cervia-Hasler et al. measured serum levels of 6,596 human proteins in study participants.
Patients with confirmed acute COVID-19 illness were followed for up to one year and blood serum samples were collected again at 6 and 12 months when possible. Patients suffering from long Covid showed changes in blood serum proteins, indicating impaired activation of the complement system, altered coagulation and tissue damage, suggesting ongoing thromboinflammatory reactions.
The authors show that at the cellular level, the thromboinflammatory signature associated with persistent Covid is related to an increase in monocyte-platelet aggregates. Dysregulation of blood serum proteins could contribute to thromboinflammation associated with long Covid.
The results of the study identify potential biomarkers for persistent Covid and new treatment strategies that require further diagnostic and therapeutic research.
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