New Research: Diagnosis of 'Chronic COVID' May Be Possible with Blood Test

More than three years after the pandemic began, millions suffering from chronic COVID will finally have scientific evidence to prove their illness is real. According to NBC News, researchers in a new study found clear differences in the blood of individuals suffering from chronic COVID, or 'long COVID,' which is a significant first step toward developing a blood test for diagnosing this condition. The results of these findings, published on Monday, September 25, in the scientific journal Nature, provide clues about the mysterious illness that has afflicted millions with symptoms such as persistent fatigue, memory problems, and other debilitating signs. David Putrino, a professor of rehabilitation and human performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and the lead researcher of this study, stated that this research is among the first to prove that 'chronic COVID is indeed a biological disease.' Dr. Mark Sala, one of the directors of the Northwestern Comprehensive COVID-19 Care Center in Chicago, who was not involved in the study, called the findings 'significant.' He said, 'This topic needs to be explored further with more research, but at least we have something at our disposal, because to be honest, right now, we have no blood test' that helps diagnose chronic COVID or aids doctors in understanding the cause of this illness. David Putrino and his colleagues compared blood samples from 268 volunteers. Some of them had contracted COVID but had fully recovered, others had never contracted COVID, and the rest had symptoms of chronic COVID at least four months after infection. The study observed several notable differences in the blood of individuals with chronic COVID symptoms compared to the other groups. Mr. Putrino noted that the activity of immune system cells; 'T lymphocytes' and 'B lymphocytes,' which help fight microbes, was 'irregular' in patients with chronic COVID. According to him, one of the most important findings was that patients with chronic COVID had significantly lower levels of the hormone 'cortisol' in their blood. The primary function of this hormone is to create a sense of alertness and wakefulness in individuals, and David Putrino said that the low level of cortisol explains why many individuals with chronic COVID experience profound fatigue. He also added, 'This was one of the findings that definitively distinguished individuals with chronic COVID from those who did not have chronic COVID.' However, doctors do not simply recommend increasing a person's cortisol levels to 'resolve' this issue. According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic COVID affects one in every 13 adult Americans, or about 7.5 percent. This new study gives hope to patients suffering from chronic COVID symptoms regarding the future.