Research: The risk of "long-term symptoms of COVID-19" may be predictable

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 26 , a study published by researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland on the 25th said that perhaps the risk of "long-term symptoms of the new crown" in people infected with the new crown virus can be estimated by measuring the level of certain antibodies in the human body, thereby reducing this risk and improving the treatment of new crown patients.

The latest report, published in the British journal Nature Communications, said that by studying 175 patients with new crown and 40 healthy people, researchers found that patients with "long-term symptoms of new crown" had generally low levels of IgM antibodies and IgG3 antibodies.

Morning rush-hour commuters walk the streets of London, England, on Jan. 24. On the same day, people in England are no longer required to wear masks or work from home, and COVID-19 vaccination certificates are no longer mandatory to enter places where people gather. (Xinhua News Agency, by Tim Ireland)

According to the World Health Organization, most covid-19 patients are able to recover completely, but about 10% to 20% of patients will have a variety of medium- and long-term symptoms after initial recovery, which are collectively referred to as "long-term symptoms of covid-19".

The researchers combined the data of IgM antibodies and IgG3 antibodies in COVID-19 patients, asthma history, age, COVID-19 symptoms and other information to develop a model for estimating the risk of "long-term symptoms of COVID-19", and used this model to estimate the risk of "long-term symptoms of COVID-19" in another 395 patients. The test results show that this model helps doctors know as early as possible whether patients are at risk of "long-term symptoms of covid-19", and then helps doctors provide patients with more symptomatic treatment and rehabilitation services.

The researchers said people with a history of asthma and low levels of IgM and IgG3 antibodies were at higher risk of developing "long-term symptoms of COVID-19," a finding that helped mobilize such populations to vaccinate in order to reduce the risk of developing "long-term symptoms of COVID-19." (Ou Sa)