Study finds immune system breakdown causing persistent Covid
According to a study published in the journal Science, people with the disease experience changes in protein levels that interfere with their immune response. The discovery opens the way to improved diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
Analysis of blood samples from patients with persistent Covid-19 – a disease of unknown causes, incurable and causing, among other symptoms, persistent fatigue and cognitive decline – showed that these people are suffering changes in the protein network and points to this is an immune failure as the most likely cause of the disease. The discovery opens the door to improving the diagnosis and treatment of persistent Covid disease, which affects approximately 5% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2.
This study was published in a prestigious journal The sciencea team from the University of Zurich (Switzerland) monitored 113 patients for more than a year, of whom 40 had persistent Covid, and compared blood test results from both.
According to the results, patients with persistent covid had more protein who belong to complement system. This system is associated with the inflammatory and immune response.
“In patients with persistent Covid, the complement system no longer returns to its original state, but remains activated and therefore also “damages healthy cells in the body”– explained scientist Onur Boyman in a statement from the University of Zurich.
Study results identify potential biomarkers of persistent Covid-19 and open the door to new strategies care and his diagnosis.