Coronavirus News: ‘No Specific Cause’ For Long COVID Found In Recent Studies

Much research is being conducted to learn more about long COVID-19, but answers remain elusive. To date, there are not a lot of conclusive theories about why so many patients are suffering from long COVID, but a new study sheds some light on the condition.

A study published on Tuesday titled, "A Longitudinal Study of COVID-19 Sequelae and Immunity," found many subjects who continued to experience symptoms of the virus well after infection. However, the study could not trace a singular reason for a long COVID infection.

"Extensive diagnostic evaluation revealed no specific cause of reported symptoms in most cases," the study revealed. "Antibody levels were highly variable after COVID-19."

The study found lots of examples of long COVID in the 189 test subjects who previously had COVID-19. Twelve of them went to the hospital for thier symptoms. Among those with previous COVID-19 infections, 55% reported suffering from symptoms.

The study found that women and those with a previous history of anxiety disorder were more likely to present long COVID symptoms. However, the study did not reveals reasons why. It also could not account for which COVID-19 variants were more likely to produce long COVID symptoms, or if any such variations exist.

Another recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one in five adults has a health condition that might relate to their previous COVID-19 illness. These conditions include neurologic and mental health conditions, kidney failure, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular conditions, and respiratory conditions.

Conditions can also include blood clots and vascular issues. Many of these conditions occur more frequently in adults over 65 years of age after a COVID-19 infection.

It is important for healthcare providers to be aware of the prevalence of long COVID, and to understand all the ways it can show up. However, neither study gives an indication of the cause. There is also no evidence that shows which groups are at a higher risk of infection.

"Further investigation is warranted to understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with increased risk for post-COVID conditions, including by age and type of condition," the CDC study concluded.