All the research
Long Covid Learning collects research from scientists worldwide and summarizes the findings to make takeaways more accessible to those outside the research community. Study summaries can be shared as links or images in messages and social media.
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Damaged immune system
Even patients never hospitalized for Covid have dramatically reduced T cells counts (a key part of the body's immune system), and the surviving T cells and appear less capable of fighting disease due to cellular exhaustion. Those whose T cell counts drop very low after Covid infection may require urgent help even if their initial infection was milder, as this damage to the immune system was found to put patients at higher risk of deteriorating health or even death.
Even patients never hospitalized for Covid have dramatically reduced T cells counts (a key part of the body's immune system), and the surviving T cells and appear less capable of fighting disease due to cellular exhaustion.
Those whose T cell counts drop very low after Covid infection may require urgent help even if their initial infection was milder, as this damage to the immune system was found to put patients at higher risk of deteriorating health or even death.
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77% affected 12 months later
12 months after mostly mild Covid infections, only 23% were symptom-free. Patients reported significantly reduced physical and mental quality of life from symptoms like reduced exercise capacity (56%), fatigue (53%), breathing problems (38%), and trouble concentrating (40%) and finding words (32%). Researchers also found signs of the immune system attacking healthy cells.
12 months after mostly mild Covid infections, only 23% were symptom-free.
Patients reported significantly reduced physical and mental quality of life from symptoms like reduced exercise capacity (56%), fatigue (53%), breathing problems (38%), and trouble concentrating (40%) and finding words (32%). Researchers also found signs of the immune system attacking healthy cells.
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Damaged immune system
Those reporting Long Covid symptoms showed measurable abnormalities in their immune system that can persist at least 8 months. Patients with Long Covid had evidence of ongoing inflammation including highly activated immune cells, lack of inactivated T and B cells, and elevated presence of cytokines that are signatures of ongoing active immune response. This provides further evidence of physical damage from Long Covid.
Those reporting Long Covid symptoms showed measurable abnormalities in their immune system that can persist at least 8 months.
Patients with Long Covid had evidence of ongoing inflammation including highly activated immune cells, lack of inactivated T and B cells, and elevated presence of cytokines that are signatures of ongoing active immune response. This provides further evidence of physical damage from Long Covid.
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Infection can raise the risk of reinfection
Prior infection by some variants is found to decrease rather than increase immune response to later variants in people who were vaccinated. Prior infection by Omicron only poorly increases immune response to later infections by other Omicron variants. This finding opposes the theory that better “hybrid” immunity arises from vaccination paired with infection — infections that also raise the risk of Long Covid.
Prior infection by some variants is found to decrease rather than increase immune response to later variants in people who were vaccinated. Prior infection by Omicron only poorly increases immune response to later infections by other Omicron variants.
This finding opposes the theory that better “hybrid” immunity arises from vaccination paired with infection — infections that also raise the risk of Long Covid.
Source: Immune boosting by B.1.1.529 (Omicron) depends on previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure | Science
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Brain infections in kids
A children's hospital in the U.S. noticed a 236% increase in rare and dangerous bacterial infections in the brain, many of which were diagnosed during or immediately after Covid infection. A follow-up survey found increases in these infections in 43% of responding U.S. hospitals.
A children's hospital in the U.S. noticed a 236% increase in rare and dangerous bacterial infections in the brain, many of which were diagnosed during or immediately after Covid infection.
A follow-up survey found increases in these infections in 43% of responding U.S. hospitals.
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Disrupted T cells and cortisol
Those suffering from Long Covid show "uniformly low" levels of cortisol, the body's main stress hormone that controls how the body makes and uses energy, sleep/wake cycles, blood pressure, and more. Long Covid sufferers also had fewer memory immune T cells and more "exhausted" T cells, which play important roles in how the body fights disease (including the dormant diseases that Covid can reactivate).
Those suffering from Long Covid show "uniformly low" levels of cortisol, the body's main stress hormone that controls how the body makes and uses energy, sleep/wake cycles, blood pressure, and more.
Long Covid sufferers also had fewer memory immune T cells and more "exhausted" T cells, which play important roles in how the body fights disease (including the dormant diseases that Covid can reactivate).
Source: Distinguishing features of Long COVID identified through immune profiling | medRxiv
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Immune development in babies
Babies were born with reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 in their intestines months after the mother's infection. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a baby's gut may significantly impact the development of the immune system both before and after birth, with the potential for babies to suffer from higher susceptibility to disease and other dangerous outcomes.
Babies were born with reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 in their intestines months after the mother's infection.
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a baby's gut may significantly impact the development of the immune system both before and after birth, with the potential for babies to suffer from higher susceptibility to disease and other dangerous outcomes.
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Damaged immune system
SARS-CoV-2 directly infects and kills immune cells (lymphocytes), reducing the body's ability to fight Covid and increasing the severity of future infections — both future Covid variants and other diseases. The infection of cells not only impairs the body's immune response, they may aggravate the infection by carrying the virus to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.
SARS-CoV-2 directly infects and kills immune cells (lymphocytes), reducing the body's ability to fight Covid and increasing the severity of future infections — both future Covid variants and other diseases.
The infection of cells not only impairs the body's immune response, they may aggravate the infection by carrying the virus to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.
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Hepatitis
SARS-CoV-2 may trigger autoimmune processes — T-cells attacking both the virus and the host's own cells — that may be involved in recent cases of hepatitis. Scientists identified mutations in SARS-CoV-2 that cause the virus's proteins to strongly resemble proteins belonging to the host (e.g., infected individuals).
SARS-CoV-2 may trigger autoimmune processes — T-cells attacking both the virus and the host's own cells — that may be involved in recent cases of hepatitis.
Scientists identified mutations in SARS-CoV-2 that cause the virus's proteins to strongly resemble proteins belonging to the host (e.g., infected individuals).
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