Research updates, May 7

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May 7, 2024

People with Long Covid experience brain inflammation, according to a paper from researchers at Harvard University published this week in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The researchers took detailed brain scans of 12 people with Long Covid, then compared the results to scans from people who didn’t have the disease. The Long Covid participants showed brain inflammation as well as other markers of a dysfunctional vascular system, such as a high concentration of a protein that forms blood clots. “Neuroinflammation in Long Covid patients may be connected to vascular problems,” lead author Michael VanElzakker said in a press release.*
Two new studies explore the prevalence and complexity of Long Covid in children. A paper in Scientific Reports identifies the prevalence of Long Covid in children during the Omicron era: 17% of children first infected with this variant and 22% of those reinfected met the criteria for Long Covid. (The study included about 700 children in total.) Meanwhile, researchers from the National Institutes of Health RECOVER initiative’s pediatric team presented findings at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2024 Meeting highlighting the most common Long Covid symptoms for different age groups. For more details on this research, see our interview with pediatrician Melissa Stockwell.
Taking the diabetes and antiviral drug metformin during acute Covid-19 symptoms leads to lower virus concentration in patients’ bodies, report researchers at the University of Minnesota in a new paper. This new study provides additional data from a randomized control trial, run by the same research group, that found taking metformin during acute Covid-19 lowers patients’ risk for developing Long Covid. “Metformin reduced the amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus present, which likely accounts for why this $1 medication reduced hospitalizations and Long Covid,” said study author David Boulware in a press release.
Find more research updates in the Long Covid Weekly newsletter, and find Long Covid clinical trials at Long Covid Studies.

*Editor’s note: This study was funded by the PolyBio Research Foundation, which, like The Sick Times, has received support from the Balvi and Kanro funds. Our newsroom operates independently of financial supporters.