The latest report, released this week, suggests that the new coronavirus may cause the production of autoantibodies that attack the patient’s own tissues instead of the virus. These so-called antibodies can last for months even after the infection has been resolved, causing irreparable harm.
New York Times report This may help explain the protracted symptoms of people who have recovered from COVID-19. It is also called long-term clouding of consciousness with symptoms such as dementia, brain fog, and joint pain.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Beirut, Lebanon-January 15: (Edit only) On January 15, 2021, a patient is lying in the bed in the intensive care unit of Raffic Hariri University Hospital in southern Beirut, Lebanon. After social interaction during the New Year celebrations, the number of infections increased and the country declared a state of emergency. (Photo courtesy of Diego Ibarra Sanchez / Getty Images)
What is an autoantibody?
Autoantibodies Antibodies that mistakenly target or react to your own tissues in the body. The immune system can produce autoantibodies if it cannot distinguish between “self” and “non-self.”
According to, these are characteristic of autoimmune diseases and conditions in which the immune system, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, attacks the body. Science Direct..
Very few recent studies have been conducted on COVID-19-producing autoantibodies, with only 9 patients participating. They found that five of these patients had autoantibodies for at least seven months after recovering from the infection. However, this study has not yet been peer-reviewed for publication, and the author warned readers of misunderstandings in the results.
Dr. Nahid Badelia, Medical Director and Research Co-author of the Special Pathogens Unit at the Boston Medical Center,
“This is a signal, not a definitive one,” said Dr. Nahid Badelia, medical director of the Special Pathogens Unit at the Boston Medical Center, who led the study. “I don’t know how popular it is and whether it can be linked to a long COVID.”
Read again: Researchers warn that a variant of COVID-19 is extremely dangerous
Autoimmunity contributes to severe COVID-19 cases
Dr. Badelia said the issue of autoimmunity after recovery of COVID-19 is an urgent and important issue. It is known that about 1 in 3 survivors of the infection are still experiencing symptoms.
She said this was a real phenomenon and a second pandemic could occur. This pandemic is filled with people with ongoing potential disabilities who may not be able to return to work, which can have a significant impact on their health system.
There is increasing evidence that autoimmunity can significantly contribute to the severity of COVID-19 in Deccan Herald in some patients. report..For example, a study published in October found that more than 70% of 52 patients with severe COVID-19 were infected. Autoantibodies that attack your DNA A protein that helps blood coagulation.
In addition, another study published last October Autoantibodies to carbohydrates What is made by the body of some patients can help explain the neurological symptoms.
In a study published in Science Translational Medicine in November, 50% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients It had at least transient autoantibodies that coagulated and blocked blood vessels.
That said, experts are concerned that prolonged autoantibodies can cause autoimmune disease in some people tested positive for COVID-19.
Autoantibodies change the course of illness
Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, said that when autoantibodies are induced, they will become a permanent part of the human immune system.Her team has severely ill patients Significantly increased amount of autoantibodies In their system of attacking their brain cells, tissues, and coagulation factors.
According to their findings, severely ill patients with COVID-19 had many autoantibodies that affected the immune response and exacerbated the disease.
Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington, said the study convincingly showed that autoantibodies could alter the course of the disease.
Autoimmunity after illness is not unique to coronavirus patients, but it can occur in other illnesses such as malaria, leprosy, and respiratory virus.
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