The University Hospital of Innsbruck is making people sit up and pay attention with an extremely positive finding when it comes to Long Covid: as part of a study, it was found that all patients examined no longer had any complaints after two years at the latest. virus components in their intestines and no longer had Long Covid symptoms.
This was discovered in a follow-up study led by Herbert Tilg, director of Internal Medicine I. “This means hope for many. Time also heals,” says Tilg.
Study with 21 patients
In total, the study involved 21 patients who suffered from an underlying disease – chronic inflammatory bowel disease – and had mild to moderate Long Covid symptoms. “Although those affected are not seriously ill, they are seriously affected. Weakness, fatigue, exhaustion. You can’t really bring yourself to do anything. Such cases make up the majority of those suffering from Long Covid. “Severe Long Covid cases, on the other hand, are much less common,” said Tilg, illustrating the great importance of the new findings.
The most important of these findings in detail: Of the 21 clinically examined patients, “all were 100 percent symptom-free after two years,” reported renowned internist and gastroenterologist Tilg. A colonoscopy or endoscopy was performed in nine of these patients. “All negative. After two years, no more virus components were found. The body or immune system has succeeded in eliminating the viruses,” the top expert said happily.
And last but not least: the happiness hormone serotonin, which is known to be reduced in Long Covid, was “normalized” again. “When the viruses disappear, the serotonin level in the blood increases again compared to before,” Tilg explains.
The only study of its kind in the world
The ‘small and fine study’ is currently the only one of its kind in the world and is certainly representative. It was recently published in the renowned journal ‘Gastroenterology’, says Tilg: ‘No one in the world has a follow-up study like this. The advantage of this is that we guided the patients from the start.”
After all, the current follow-up research is based on a clinical study under Tilg’s auspices that caused a stir about two years ago. The doctor and his team showed at the time that the presence of virus remains was apparently related or correlated with the symptoms of Long Covid. Specifically, 46 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease were also examined for corona during a gastrointestinal endoscopy. 32 of them still had virus components or virus remains in their digestive tract seven months after corona infection. 21 of them had Long Covid symptoms. And these 21 affected people have been followed clinically ever since – until the current study.
“So there is legitimate hope that Long Covid or Post Covid will disappear. “But it takes two years before the immune system has finally eliminated the viruses,” Tilg explains.
Knowledge of serotonin may be an important clue
As for severe cases of Long Covid, “major studies, including therapy studies,” are underway, but “We in medicine do not yet fully understand why such a serious disease can develop.” This can also be a ‘starting point’ in these cases, says Tilg. After all, there are medications that increase serotonin levels, but: ‘There is still a lack of large, controlled research into this.’
Drugs would also be available to acutely treat Covid in general, Tilg reminded: “But at the moment we can only reduce it and not eliminate it.”
Source: Krone
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