An overactive inflammatory response could be at the root of many long COVID cases, according to a new study from the Allen Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Looking at proteins circulating in the blood, the scientists found a set of molecules associated with inflammation that were present only in a subset of patients with long COVID and were not seen in those who recovered from their disease. The researchers published an article describing their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Out of 55 patients with long COVID, about two-thirds had persistently high levels of certain signals of inflammation. The scientists also looked at blood samples from 25 people who had COVID but recovered, and from 25 volunteers who had never had COVID to their knowledge. Those without long COVID did not show the same signs of inflammation in their blood.
