Researchers of Imperial College London have found some irregularities in the blood of long-haul COVID patients, which could help develop a test for the condition, according to BBC.
They discovered a pattern of rogue antibodies in the blood in a few people with long COVID, hoping that it could pave the way for a simple blood test within six to 18 months.
Dr. Elaine Maxwell, Clinical Adviser at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Dissemination Centre, said the early findings were “exciting,” adding that there could be “a number of different things happening after a COVID-19 infection” and an autoimmune response “has been one of the suspected mechanisms.”
However, she warned that long haul COVID was a “complex condition” and it was “important to continue to research the other causal factors so all different types of post-COVID syndrome could be diagnosed and treated.”
Long haul COVID can include a range of symptoms lasting long after initial infection, such as fatigue, breathlessness, headaches, and muscle pain.
Currently, there is no test to diagnose long haul COVID.
Lead researcher Prof. Danny Altmann said he believes the findings will lead to a simple blood test that could be done in a doctor’s office.
However, he expressed concern that the UK government’s plans to “live with” COVID-19 could be causing the next wave of cases, as the government plans to end most restrictions in England from July 19.
Prof. Altmann warned that it is unclear if vaccines will protect people from long haul COVID symptoms.
He said, “If we’re heading into a phase of 100,000 cases per day, and, we’re saying that 10-20% of all infections can result in long COVID, I can see no certainty that we’re not brewing those long Covid cases despite having a vaccinated population.”
Prof. Altmann said he believes that these antibodies may be one of the things causing long COVID symptoms, adding that some people still have the virus “persisting” in their bodies, while others may have some issues with their immune systems.
He cautioned that the findings cannot yet be described as a breakthrough, but considered them “a very exciting advancement.”
In the United Kingdom, more than 962,000 people had long COVID in the four weeks up to June 4, per the Office for National Statistics. And around 385,000 people are estimated to have been suffering from long haul COVID for more than a year.
Long haul COVID can affect people of all ages, including those who were previously fit and healthy. The story first appeared on BBC.
