For some people, COVID-19 symptoms might not go away after the infection; this is known as Long COVID.

It’s generally defined as a condition in which symptoms last three months or more and can improve, get worse, or continue over time.

People might experience neurologic symptoms with Long COVID, and symptoms can include headaches, fatigue, and difficulty thinking or concentrating.

But research is showing that symptoms of Long COVID can vary from person to person based on many different factors.

Scientists believe that one element affecting people with Long COVID could be an autoimmune reaction.

New research is finding a link between Long COVID and neurologic symptoms

Autoantibodies are antibodies that fight a person’s own tissue instead of the disease, are often found in individuals with autoimmune diseases.

They’re now being found in some people with Long COVID.

A team of scientists recently looked into the role these autoantibodies play in the neurologic symptoms people experience with Long COVID.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently reported that researchers examined the antibodies from 147 people and found that antibodies from people with Long COVID and people who had recovered from COVID reacted more frequently with human nervous-system tissue than the antibodies from healthy people.

The team of scientists put the antibodies from Long COVID patients into mice to see what would happen.

Mice that received antibodies from Long COVID patients with chronic pain were more sensitive to pain and showed signs of nerve damage. Most of the mice that developed balance problems had received antibodies from patients with dizziness and became fatigued more quickly on a treadmill.

This research found that some autoantibodies were associated with specific symptoms. For example, people whose antibodies targeted a region of the brain called the locus coeruleus (located in the brainstem) were more likely to experience a loss of taste and smell, nausea and joint pain.

Study could help researchers understand Long COVID

The findings suggest that autoantibodies may play a role in some of the neurologic symptoms associated with Long COVID.

More research is needed to determine whether the autoantibodies directly cause the symptoms, but the findings could eventually help researchers develop new treatments for some people with Long COVID.

More information about this study can be found at: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-system-may-attack-nervous-system-some-long-covid-patients

Access Press provides coverage of COVID issues with support from the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL).

This activity is made possible by a grant from the Long COVID Program of the Minnesota Department of Health.