As per a study more than 144 million people are having long COVID
While several theories have been put forward to explain long COVID or the post COVID condition that remains in some people even weeks, months and years after the COVID, a new study has found that leftover residues of the virus might be driving this condition.
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This study throws a new light on the long COVID condition which has become a serious concern for health agencies as more than 144 million people are believed to have this condition.
What is long COVID?
Long COVID or post COVID condition is a series of symptoms which are seen in a patient even after the infection.
In a clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition by a Delphi consensus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis.
What does the study say?
The research study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases journal has found that the spike protein of the virus remains in the blood of long COVID people up to a year after the infection. In support of its claim on long COVID, the study has also found that this spike protein is not found in people who have fully recovered from COVID.
The researchers have come to a conclusion that these leftover residues of the virus could be hampering the immune system causing complications like blood clots and inflammation, which subsequently leads to several complications causing long COVID.
"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.
Plasma samples of 63 adults were studied
A retrospective pilot study was performed using plasma samples collected from 63 adults who were infected with COVID and 37 of them were diagnosed with long COVID.
From those who had long COVID, 30 were female, "reflecting the increased frequency with which women are affected by persistent symptoms following COVID infection," the study says.
"We detected either S1, spike or N in approximately 65% of the patients diagnosed with PASC at any given time point, several months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of the three antigens, we detected spike most often in 60% of the PASC patients, whereas we did not detect spike in the COVID 19 patients," the researchers have said.
Long COVID prevails in 10-20% of COVID infected individuals
On the prevalence of long COVID, several research studies have found that a major proportion of those who get infected with the coronavirus, actually develop long COVID conditions.
More than 10% of the COVID infected are likely to develop long COVID symptoms like headache, loss of concentration, problems in memory, shortness of breath even months after recovering from the infection.
As per a study, close to 144 million people worldwide suffer from long COVID conditions, demanding a combined attention towards managing this health complication.
What are the symptoms of long COVID?
The common symptoms of long COVID are abdominal pain. altered smell and taste, anxiety, blurred vision, chest pain, cough, depression, dizziness, intermittent fever, gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, headache, memory issues, joint pain, muscle pain or spasms, neuralgia, allergies, pin and needle sensation in body, fatigue, sleep disorder, tachycardia or palpitations and tinnitus.
How to deal with long COVID?
In order to deal with long COVID, we first need to understand that it is long COVID. Before COVID's lingering nature was spotted and recognised, it was difficult for experts as well to conclude about the condition. In many cases it was considered to be a continuing COVID scare. However, almost a year after COVID pandemic, long COVID was recognised as a serious health concern. In December 2021, the WHO released an official statement on long COVID or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 symptoms and listed all the symptoms associated with it.
While it is always advisable to seek medical help, it is equally important to recognise the symptom on your own.