The slow response to long Covid is one of the biggest failures of the Covid-19 epidemic. 100 million people suffer from long Covid. If we take into account that diagnoses are still inadequate, and that we don't know what the impact of Omicron will be, then that number will eventually be much higher.
Patients with long Covid complain of a lot of symptoms, the main ones being fatigue, brain fog, muscle weakness, being out of breath and having low oxygen levels. Some patients are so sick that they can't work. There is a risk of stroke and heart attacks. Mild and sometimes asymptomatic initial Covid-19 infections can lead to long-term disability.
We and other researchers have pointed out that acute Covid-19 is a lung disease that affects the blood flow and clotting systems.
There is a lot of microclot in the blood of both acute Covid-19 and long Covid patients. When you cut yourself, you may form a clot. The body breaks down the clot using a process called fibrinolysis.
Acute Covid-19 is a lung disease that affects the cardiovascular system.
Patients with long Covid have persistent microclots that are resistant to the body's own fibrinolytic processes. We found high levels of inflammatory molecule trapped in the microclots, including plasminogen, fibrinogen and Von Willebrand factor (VWF), and also Alpha-2 antiplasmin, a molecule that prevents the breakdown of microclots.
Cells not getting enough oxygen in the tissues to sustain bodily functions are caused by the presence of persistent microclots and hyperactivated platelets. Widespread hypoxic conditions may be the cause of many reported symptoms.
Covid patients don't go to their nearest clinic to find treatment options. There are no general pathology tests available to diagnose these patients.
Desperately ill patients are told that their pathology test results are normal. Many are told that their symptoms are psychological and that they should try meditation or exercise. Our research has shown that the inflammatory molecules are trapped inside the microclots and are not picked up by the traditional lab tests. The inflammatory molecules, including auto-antibodies, are missed when the molecule content of the plasma is measured.
If there is careful professional monitoring of any danger of bleeding that might be caused by taking these medications, the results of preliminary results indicate that treatments such as antiplatelet and anticoagulation regimen have shown promising results in long Covid cases. In addition to that, Help may have positive outcomes for patients. There is an interview with Dr Beate Jaeger and Dr Asad Khan.
We need to invest in more research and clinical trials to better understand and confirm the link between arteriosclerosis and long Covid. Even those without long Covid could benefit from such research, as symptoms seen in long Covid patients show many similarities to those seen in chronic and viral-related illnesses, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. We have not yet identified a biomarker for Covid, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. We need to look harder.
Resia Pretorius is the head of department and a distinguished research professor in the faculty of science.
