Immune response after prolonged mild COVID-19; revealed psychiatric risk

(Reuters)-The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific research on the new coronaviruses and efforts to find cures and vaccines for the virus-caused disease COVID-19.

Mild COVID-19 induces long-term immune response

In mild COVID-19 patients, the researchers found that the immune response was months ago, perhaps longer. Earlier reports suggested that in mildly ill patients, antibodies were reduced and immunity decreased shortly after recovery. However, a study conducted in China last month on 349 COVID-19 patients who had not been peer-reviewed found similar immune response patterns at 6 months, regardless of the severity of the symptoms. Also, in a study published on Saturday prior to the peer review, U.S. researchers conducted blood tests in 15 patients after mild COVID-19 and found that antibodies, so-called memory B cells and memory T cells, persisted. I was looking for three signs of a positive immune response. Lauren Rodda, a co-author of a study at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told Reuters that patients still “all three of these layers of defense” three months after recovery, reducing the risk of reinfection. Told. If re-infected, it is unlikely to become serious or contagious, Rodda said. Her team believes this is a lasting response, as the three-month test results were no different than the one-month results. Findings support the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advice that patients do not need to be retested for COVID-19 within the first 3 months of infection, as the results show that the immune response lasts for more than 3 months doing. Both studies were posted on the website medRxiv. (Https://bit.ly/3g2fLBv; https://bit.ly/2CyMSPF)

COVID-19 survivors at risk of mental illness

A study of more than 62,000 survivors of COVID-19 found significant risks to mental health problems. The researchers found that 1 in 16 COVID-19 patients who had never had a mental illness were diagnosed with 1 within 3 months after infection. Maxime Taquet, a research leader at Oxford University, told Reuters that the risk was about twice as high as expected, and even higher in patients who were sick enough to be hospitalized. The most common are anxiety disorders, but he said that depression, insomnia, and rarely dementia also occur. This study, also reported on the medRxiv website on Sunday prior to peer review, also found higher than average COVID-19 rates in people with previous psychiatric diagnoses. Taquet’s advice to patients: “If you experience anxiety, depression, insomnia, or memory loss after COVID-19, consult a health care professional as there may be ways to improve these symptoms. Please.” (https://bit.ly/3iT7Ect)

Viral load is not associated with odor and taste recovery

Nose and throat virus levels are associated with the severity of COVID-19 symptoms, but a Hong Kong researcher was surprised to predict that viral load was associated with odors and taste disorders. Viral load was not associated with these severities. These are called olfactory and taste symptoms and do not include the time it takes for the odor or taste to return to normal. The findings reported in the journal Laryngoscope are based on data from 39 Hong Kong patients who had problems with odor and/or taste. It took an average of 10 days for these feelings to return. Four to six weeks after getting sick, 72% had full recovery of their olfactory capacity and 83% were able to taste again. However, there was no statistically significant association between viral load and severity of these symptoms or recovery time. (Https://bit.ly/2CDhTSI)