Of the antibodies produced in response to Covid-19 infection could they be the cause of the symptoms of long Covid? This is the finding of a study conducted by researchers from the American Institutes of Health (NIH) and published on July 5, 2022 in the journal Brain.
The team of researchers studied the brains of nine people who died quickly after contracting Covid-19. The brains of the patients, aged 24 to 73, were then compared to ten others from a control group. They did not find traces of the virus in the brains of infected patients, but rather antibodies, which would be responsible for damage to the walls of blood vessels and therefore adverse effects of Covid-19 such as migraines, chronic fatigue, loss of taste and smell, sleep problems or even the feeling of “brain fog”.
Brain cells mistakenly targeted
After observing neuronal inflammation and immune responses, the antibodies produced in response to Covid-19 mistakenly targeted the cells making up the blood-brain barrier, a structure protecting the blood vessels of the brain. This degradation can also cause bleeding or blood clots, thus increasing the risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA). According to the study, 2.1 to 5% of hospitalized patients with Covid-19 develop strokessome without underlying risk factors.
“Patients often develop neurological complications with Covid-19, but the associated pathophysiological process is not well understoodsaid Avindra Nath, the study’s lead author, in a statement. We had already shown the damage affecting blood vessels on the brains of patients during autopsies, but we did not understand what caused this“.”I think with this article we have new elements on this process“, he ends, giving hope for leads for future treatments.
Source :
- Neurovascular injury with complement activation and inflammation in COVID-19, BrainJuly 5, 2022
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