Bizarre structures have been discovered in the blood of individuals suffering from long Covid, potentially contributing to symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue.
Long Covid has remained a puzzle since the pandemic began, but unique biomarkers have now been identified that could support two probable theories, both of which may turn out to be accurate.
The first theory suggests that the condition is caused by minuscule blood clots that obstruct blood flow, while another piece of the mystery could be sticky webs of DNA having a similar impact.
While it’s still early days, medical professionals are optimistic that understanding how these blood components affect long Covid could pave the way towards effective treatment and possibly even a cure.
Usually, NETs perform their function and disintegrate. However, in these samples, the webs were physically embedded within the microclots, forming stubborn, gummy structures that could impede blood flow through capillaries and resist the body’s normal clean-up process.
The team utilised imaging flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy to identify these tangled clots, discovering the NETs–microclot combination in all samples but far more pronounced in individuals with long Covid.
The difference was so significant that when the samples were anonymised, an AI system could identify the long Covid patients with approximately 91% accuracy. This suggests the possibility of a potential biomarker to assist doctors in diagnosing a condition that’s often dismissed because standard tests return ‘normal’.
In 2021, Pretorius’s team initially highlighted microclots in long Covid; in 2022, Thierry’s group reported elevated NETs. Now, combining those threads, the new study suggests the two may be collaborating in the blood – and when that partnership goes rogue, trouble ensues.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
