Researchers at Harvard Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that patients with long-term COVID-19 infection are twice as likely to have coronavirus antigens compared to asymptomatic patients. I discovered that.
The study, published Oct. 9 in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection, was conducted in collaboration with RECOVER, a National Institutes of Health project to learn more about the lingering coronavirus infection. Igho Ofotokun, leader of the RECOVER project, said the BWH study was an important step in understanding long-term COVID-19 infections.
“At this stage, we don’t know what causes this disease. We can only speculate,” Ofotokun said. “We have several theories and hypotheses, so we’re testing all of them, so every step is being taken.”
The study found that 43% of patients who experienced long-term symptoms of COVID-19 tested positive for viral proteins within 14 months of initial diagnosis; 21% of patients who had not experienced it had a positive reaction.
Zoe N. Swank, lead author of the study, said these findings suggest that antiviral drugs that target antigens may help manage long-term symptoms of COVID-19. Ta.
“For patients who are antigen positive, we may consider treatment with antiviral drugs to see if that actually stops persistent virus replication, which may improve symptoms,” she said.
These results come as RECOVER is conducting a separate study testing the use of the antiviral drug paxlobid to treat long-term coronavirus disease (Covid-19). David R. Walt, professor of pathology at BWH and principal investigator of the BWH study, said the study was an important source of information for his own research.
“If the RECOVER-VITAL study is successful in determining that people with persistent virus can benefit from treatment with antiviral drugs, our hope is that our analysis will “It is used to identify a subset of patients who may benefit,” he said. he wrote in an email to The Crimson.
However, the study does not explain why 57% of patients who have had COVID-19 for a long time but are not persistently infected with the virus still experience symptoms.
“There are many different hypotheses about how and why COVID-19 infections occur over a long period of time,” Swank said. “It could be immune dysfunction caused by the initial infection, induction of an autoimmune response, or microvascular dysfunction.”
Daniel R. Kritskes, director of infectious diseases at BWH, said the study does not fully resolve the question of whether “presence of antigen” is related to long-term COVID-19 infection and its symptoms. He said no.
“But that doesn’t seem to be the case. I think it’s a well-done study, but there are a lot of unanswered questions,” he added.
Jonathan Z. Lee, an infectious disease expert at BWH and a co-author of the study, said this is ultimately “an interesting finding, but far from a definitive answer.”
“I think this paper is really thought-provoking and interesting, and opens the door to a lot of research and research in this area that needs to be pursued,” he added. “But there’s still a lot we don’t know.”
