Swiss researchers have identified a pattern in the blood proteins of people affected by Long Covid. The scientists hope that this can be used in the future to better diagnose the Long Covid disease and, if necessary, treat it more specifically.
The researchers from the University and University Hospital of Zurich examined more than 6,500 proteins in the blood serum of 113 people infected with corona and 39 healthy people, according to the study published on Thursday in the journal ‘Science’.
Specific pattern discovered in proteins
In the infected, 40 of whom developed Long Covid, they re-examined the blood pattern after six and twelve months. They found a certain pattern of proteins in the blood serum of those affected by Long Covid that are linked to dysregulation of the so-called complement system.
The complement system is part of the innate immune system and normally helps fight infections and remove damaged and infected cells in the body. “In patients with Long Covid, the complement system does not return to its resting state as it should,” explains study leader Onur Boyman, director of the Clinic for Immunology at the University Hospital of Zurich.
The immune system damages healthy cells
Moreover, the Long Covid patients showed elevated blood levels due to damage to various body cells, including red blood cells, platelets and blood vessels. “If the complement system remains activated, it attacks and damages or destroys healthy cells in various organs,” says the immunologist.
“With this finding, we have found a new piece of the Long Covid puzzle, which also explains why this disease can lead to such a wide range of symptoms,” said Boyman. According to the immunologist, the new findings can not only contribute to a better understanding of the disease. The researchers were able to detect active Long Covid based on the protein pattern in the blood. According to Boyman, this could be used to diagnose Long Covid.
Procedure unusable in daily hospital life
However, the researchers used a very complex procedure to discover the blood markers, which Boyman says cannot be used in everyday hospital life. According to the immunologist, such a test would be extremely useful, for example to distinguish Long Covid from other diseases that lead to similar symptoms.
Moreover, according to the research leader, a treatment for Long Covid could only be developed based on the findings about the role of the complement system. “There are already companies developing complement inhibitors,” Boyman emphasizes. These inhibit the activity of certain components of the complement system. They are used to treat certain autoimmune diseases.
However, some researchers not involved in the study warn against hasty conclusions. It is still too early to derive direct therapeutic concepts from the new findings or even directly start therapy studies, Gabor Petzold of the University Hospital of Bonn told the Science Media Center.
Source: Krone
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