- A new observational study in Cureus found that veterans diagnosed with Long COVID had a 34% higher risk of visiting the emergency department (ED) six months following infection than those without Long COVID. The study included the electronic health records of 172,945 individuals receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration, who had tested positive for COVID-19 from March to December, 2021, identifying those with Long COVID by the disease’s ICD-10 code. “[Long COVID] poses a considerable threat to public health for the U.S. veteran and the general U.S. population,” the authors concluded.
- “Our data demonstrate that [Long COVID] is characterized by chronic inflammation, immune exhaustion, and metabolic dysregulation,” scientists concluded in a new study published in Nature Immunology. The authors assessed 142 individuals in the study, including people with Long COVID and controls, and found upregulation of inflammation (including the JAK-STAT and IL-6 pathways) more than at least 180 days beyond initial infection. While limited to a small cohort, the authors suggested the results make an argument for JAK STAT inhibitors as therapeutic targets.
- The U.K. charity the ME Association has awarded £1.1 million ($1.5 million USD) in funding to the Imperial College London to study immunological profiles of Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The three-year study will include 250 people with each disease, matched with controls, and evaluate stool, blood, and saliva samples. The study will also include collaboration with the team of DecodeME, working on genetic studies about ME. “It makes sense to study both conditions in parallel and in detail – which is what the Rosetta Stone study will do,” said ME Association medical advisor Charles Shepherd in a press release.
