Since the pandemic began, health authorities have warned that the COVID-19 infection could continue for several more weeks after passing the acute period, in what is now known as prolonged COVID. As research on the virus progresses, scientists have found that some things increase the risk of prolonged COVID.
Various research has found that prolonged COVID can last for months, even when the SARS virus -CoV-2 is no longer detected in the body. Now, an investigation carried out by various US institutions has found some early factors that anticipate the consequences of COVID- for several weeks.
By conducting an in-depth longitudinal investigation of 309 patients with COVID from the time they were diagnosed until three months later, they found four risk factors that they can anticipate prolonged COVID.
1 Type 2 diabetes
Although type 2 diabetes is known to increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, now it is also known that it can affect suffering the manifestations of the disease in a prolonged way. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or is not able to use it well to use the glucose that enters the blood in food.
2 Epstein-Barr virus
This is one of the most common viruses among humans and, although it can remain dormant in the body without causing major symptoms, contracting COVID can reactivate it. Researchers have found that the Epstein-Barr virus can trigger some long-term COVID-like conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic fatigue.
When some autoantibodies are present in the body, they mistakenly attack body tissues, and researchers found that these cells are present in two-thirds of COVID cases prolonged.
4 High levels in the blood RNA of the virus
Having high levels of RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the blood is not only an indicator of a high viral load, but also a condition for development of prolonged COVID. Experts point out that the faster the virus is eliminated from the body, the less likely it is to suffer sequelae for months.
Some experts believe that prescribing antiviral drugs shortly after diagnosis of COVID-19 can help prevent prolonged symptoms.
Read more:
+ Coronavirus: Smaller penises, inflammation and sleep disorders, some of the 203 symptoms of prolonged COVID
+ The 4 most common symptoms of prolonged COVID, according to the Mayo Clinic
+ Science answers whether children can suffer from prolonged COVID
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