CHICAGO, Ill. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Extreme fatigue, memory problems, dizziness, shortness of breath — these are just a few of the 200 symptoms linked to long COVID — that’s when the symptoms of COVID last longer than three months. There are no FDA approved or even widely agreed upon treatments for long COVID. But now researchers are trying to get to the root of the problem, in hopes of helping these patients who are suffering the longest.
Four years after we put on masks, isolated and got the shot — researchers are still looking for answers as to why some people can shake the symptoms while others can’t.
“We still have very little answers about what causes long COVID and persistent symptoms in most people,” stated Marc Sala, MD, Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist at Northwestern Medicine.
The CDC reports nearly one in five Americans who had COVID-19 still struggle with long COVID. But interestingly, older adults are less likely to get long COVID. Nearly three times as many adults 50-59 currently have long COVID than those 80 and older. Dr. Sala’s research focuses on finding out what’s happening.
“What they all had in common is that many of them had these CT scans, which showed that their lungs had inflammation and some amount of scar on them,” explained Dr. Sala.
Dr. Sala used advanced gene expression technology and CT scans and found that harmful immune cells continued to infiltrate the lungs, causing inflammation.
“Even three months, six months, nine months or up to a year, we had individuals with an ongoing migration of inflammatory cells,” he said.
Dr. Sala believes that this research will not only lead to new treatments of long COVID but help people with other lung problems.
“What’s next in our research is finding out how to stop the influx of these particular cells that we know to be associated with fibrosis, and trying to help that situation, whether it’s after COVID, after flu, or in other conditions,” he said.
Also, interestingly — the CDC reports the percentage of adults with current long covid symptoms varies by state. Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Dakota have the highest rates, while Hawaii, Maryland, and Virginia have the lowest.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/20220622.htm
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Jenny Nowatzke
Program Director for Media Relations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
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