Time for Covid to run out of body

After being infected with the coronavirus, millions of people suffer from fatigue, cognitive impairment, and other long-term symptoms. The exact cause of the disease known as Longcovid is unknown. However, new research provides clues to explain the sacrifices that illness causes to the body and why it can be so debilitating.

Diagnosis of Long Covid

Patients with severe Covid can become infected with hospitals and ventilators until symptoms are resolved. Damage to the body due to severe Covid (pneumonia, hypoxia, inflammation) usually manifests itself in conventional diagnostic tests.

Long Covid is different. It is a chronic disease with a variety of symptoms, many of which cannot be explained by conventional laboratory tests. Due to the difficulty in detecting the illness, some doctors dismiss the patient or misdiagnose the patient’s symptoms as psychosomatic disorder. However, researchers looking deeper into long Covid patients have found that there is visible dysfunction throughout the body.

Studies show that perhaps 10 to 30 percent of people infected with the coronavirus can develop long-term symptoms. It’s unclear why some people develop long Covids and others don’t. 4 factors Seems to increase risk: high levels of viral RNA in the early stages of infection, the presence of certain autoantibodies, reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus, type 2 diabetes.

Immune system

“Dan, why am I always so sick?”
— Messiah Rodriguez, 17 years old

Patients with Long Covid Confused Immune system Compared to post-Covid patients who have fully recovered. Many researchers believe that chronic immune dysfunction after a coronavirus infection can cause a series of systemic symptoms.

One possibility is that the body is still fighting the wreckage of the coronavirus.Researchers have found that the virus spreads widely during the initial infection and the genetic material of the virus Remain embedded For months in tissues (intestines, lymph nodes, etc.).

Ongoing research is trying to determine if these viral reservoirs cause inflammation of the surrounding tissues, which can lead to brain fog, gastrointestinal problems, and other symptoms.

Researchers have also found evidence that Covid can provoke a persistent and damaging autoimmune response.Studies show surprisingly high levels AutoantibodiesAccidentally attack the patient’s own tissue, For months After the first infection.

The third possibility is that the first viral infection causes chronic inflammation, probably by reactivating other viruses in the body of the normally dormant patient. Reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus, which infects most people when young, May be useful for prediction One study has discovered whether a person develops a long Covid.

internal Complex world For the immune system, these explanations can co-exist. Also, just as different long Covid patients can have different symptoms, so can their immune problems. Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, said identifying the central problem of each patient’s illness is important for guiding treatment.

For example, patients with autoantibodies may benefit from immunosuppressive drugs, but patients with covid virus debris should receive antiviral drugs, Dr. Iwasaki said. “Depending on what each person has, the treatment is quite different.”

Cardiovascular system

“Suddenly a mountain was as easy as climbing a ladder.”
— Eddie Palacios, 50 years old

Many long Covid patients suffer from physical activity long after the initial infection, exercise.. Early studies suggest that circulatory system dysfunction can impair oxygen flow to muscles and other tissues, limit aerobic capacity, and cause severe fatigue.

of One studyPatients with long-lasting Covid symptoms showed an unexpected reaction to biking. Despite having an apparently normal heart and lungs, their muscles were able to extract only a portion of the normal amount of oxygen from small blood vessels when pedaling, significantly reducing athletic performance.

One of the possible causes: Chronic inflammation can damage nerve fibers that help control circulation. This is a condition called fibril neuropathy. Damaged fiber, Seen on skin biopsyAssociated with, Autonomic imbalanceIt is very common in long Covid patients with dysfunction of automatic functions such as heart rate, breathing and digestion.

These findings show that people with long Covids suffer from general physical problems rather than simply feeling anxious or ill.

“Skin biopsies can’t supplement fibril neuropathy. It’s not in someone’s head,” said Dr. Systrom. “We cannot compensate for this degree of inadequate oxygen extraction. All of these are objective measures of illness.”

South African researchers have discovered another cycle problem: Microscopic blood clot.. Small blood clots that form during the initial Covid infection usually disintegrate spontaneously, but can persist in long Covid patients. These blood clots can block small capillaries that carry oxygen to tissues throughout the body.

Inflammatory substances, called cytokines, are often elevated in long Covid patients and can damage the mitochondria that power the body’s cells, making oxygen less accessible. The walls of blood vessels can also become inflamed and limit oxygen uptake.

Whatever the cause, hypoxia levels can contribute to severe fatigue, which is the most common symptom of long Covid.Researchers studying patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as ME / CFS) Share many features With a long Covid, a similar pattern was found. The lack of oxygen caused by cardiovascular problems can be enormous. Burden the body’s metabolismMakes simple activities feel like strenuous exercise.

brain

“I get closer to the red light. My brain knows it’s red, but it’s not reacting to the rest of the body to brake my feet. Do you understand how? Is it scary? “
— Samantha Lewes, 34

Even people with mild cases of Covid can have a lasting experience Cognitive impairment, Poor attention, memory, word discovery, etc.Possible Long-term neurological problems According to Dr. Avindra Nath, clinical director of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Covid constitutes a “major public health crisis.”

Researchers Widespread dysfunction In the brain of a long Covid patient. The frequency with which the virus invades the brain directly is unknown, but even mild infections cause serious brain inflammation, according to researchers including Stanford University neurologists Dr. Nath, Dr. Iwasaki, and Dr. Michelle Monje. It seems that.

Infections can cause overactivation of immune cells called microglia in a way that looks similar to processes that can contribute to aging and cognitive problems in some neurodegenerative diseases.

Another research group has a long Covid significantly Reduce blood volume It reaches the brain Seen again Chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with similar conditions.

lung

“I couldn’t breathe. Literally, I felt like someone was sitting on my chest.”
—Angelica Baez, 23 years old

Shortness of breath is a frequent symptom of long Covid. However, common lung tests such as chest x-rays, CT scans, and functional tests often return to normal.

Discovered by a team of British researchers using a special MRI scan Preliminary evidence Percentage of lung damage in a small group of long Covid patients who have never been hospitalized. A detailed scan of their lung function showed that most patients did not absorb oxygen more efficiently than healthy people, even though their lung structure appeared normal.

Researchers warned that a larger patient group would be needed to confirm the findings. If the results are maintained, the possible explanations for the observed shortness of breath are: Microclot of lung tissue Or, thickening of the blood-air barrier that regulates the uptake of oxygen into the lungs.

Life with Long Covid

“It really isn’t something you can break through.”
— Dr. Abigail Bossk

Many hospitals now offer post-Covid clinics or recovery programs, attracting physicians with long experience in treating Covid patients. Given the number of patients, some doctors and programs have been waiting for appointments for a long time. It helps you plan ahead and try multiple options.

The Times has written extensively about long Covids such as: