The clinical picture “Long Covid” is complex. It comprehensively describes all the symptoms that can occur as a result of a corona infection. This includes numerous complaints, for example those affected suffer from:
Tiredness and exhaustion Headaches Difficulty breathing Smell and taste disorders Cognitive impairments such as brain fog, difficulty concentrating and memory Depressive moods
But heart problems as well as kidney and metabolic disorders can also occur due to an infection. The list of possible symptoms is long: In various studies, those affected have reported up to 200 different symptoms for Long Covid – complaints that can also occur without Corona.
The fact that the disease manifests itself so differently makes diagnosis and treatment difficult. Scientists now want to change that. Researchers at the University of Zurich were able to identify a biomarker for Long Covid.
Researchers find biomarkers for Long Covid
To do this, the researchers analyzed over 6,500 proteins in the blood serum of 113 Covid-19 infected people and 39 healthy volunteers. Follow-up measurements were carried out six and twelve months later on the 40 infected people who developed Long Covid.
The result:
The blood serum proteins of those affected showed Changesassociated with dysregulation of the complement system, part of the innate immune system, were connected. In addition, markers for tissue damage and altered blood clotting were identified, which indicate a thromboinflammatory reaction Clues. This causes normal blood clotting processes and inflammation to get out of control, which can lead to thrombosis.
The researchers emphasize that the identified processes of increased Complement system activation and the thromboinflammatory reaction are not only relevant for the diagnosis of Long Covid, but can also serve as potential starting points for therapies.
Results could facilitate diagnosis
On the one hand, the results clearly show: Long or post-Covid is not an imaginary clinical picture. This is also made clear by Andreas Stallmach, director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine IV and head of the Long Covid Center, Jena University Hospital, who was not involved in the study.
However, the results cannot yet be transferred into daily routine, he emphasizes. “There is currently no quickly available diagnostic test that addresses the changes described.”
The question of whether therapies can be derived from the results has not yet been clarified. “The most important findings of the study lie in the diagnostic area. It is still too early to derive direct therapeutic concepts from the new findings or even to enter therapy studies directly,” explains Gabor Petzold, head of the Vascular Neurology Section of the Neurological Clinic at the University Hospital of Bonn.
According to Carmen Scheibenbogen, head of the immunodeficiency clinic at the Charité Clinic in Berlin, the first such approaches are already being pursued. Therapy studies are already underway that target the identified mechanisms.
How to protect yourself from Long Covid
According to current knowledge, vaccination is associated with a lower risk or lower probability of Long Covid. Apart from that, it is important to generally protect yourself from infection with the corona virus. This can be achieved with the following measures:
Wash your hands regularly to reduce the number of pathogens on your hands. Avoid large crowds. Ventilate frequently at home and in the office. Get enough sleep if possible, exercise regularly and do sports, and eat healthily. Wear mouth and nose protection to prevent all nasopharyngeal viruses fended off at the same time