Scientists gathered this week to unpack what we all know in regards to the underlying explanation for lengthy COVID and potential therapies.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
It is one of many greatest medical mysteries to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. Why do some individuals recover from COVID whereas others are plagued with continual signs for months and even years? This week, researchers got here collectively to take inventory of the progress science has made in direction of understanding lengthy COVID. NPR’s Will Stone was there and joins us from Santa Fe, N.M. Hello.
WILL STONE, BYLINE: Hello, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Why was this lengthy COVID assembly an enormous deal?
STONE: Yeah, this was actually science in motion. It is one of many first main gatherings of researchers from world wide targeted on what’s driving lengthy COVID and potential therapies. It was held by the nonprofit Keystone Symposia. And since lengthy COVID is such a wide-ranging illness – many various manifestations, affecting every kind of organs and techniques within the physique – that is truly attracted researchers with every kind of backgrounds. So this was an opportunity for them to get in a room, in lots of instances to satisfy in individual for the primary time and share their findings and attempt to chart a path ahead.
SHAPIRO: And what does that appear like? It looks like we have been listening to for years that scientists are chipping away at this.
STONE: Yeah, to be clear, Ari, there’s nonetheless loads of work to be performed to know the underlying causes of lengthy COVID. There isn’t a one take a look at that a health care provider can run and say, OK, you might have lengthy COVID. There is not but a single confirmed therapy for the situation. And I feel listening to all of that may make issues really feel a bit hopeless, particularly for the sufferers who’re affected by this situation. However I’ll inform you, from being right here the previous couple of days, there’s loads of vitality going towards this. And one scientist I spoke to within the hallway throughout shows was Akiko Iwasaki. She’s at Yale College. And he or she mentioned it is a positive stability, you already know, shifting quick on analysis and nonetheless being deliberate.
AKIKO IWASAKI: I completely perceive how pissed off sufferers are. The fact of biomedical analysis is that it takes time. Even to get a protocol up and operating, we’ve got to get approval from the appropriate regulatory companies and all that. So we’re making an attempt very, very onerous to do that as quickly as potential.
SHAPIRO: So Will, the place are scientists precisely within the means of attending to the basis of lengthy COVID?
STONE: So to sum it up, I would say the scientific journey with lengthy COVID began with first, merely recognizing it is an actual medical situation that must be studied, then describing it, defining it, then producing theories about what could possibly be driving the signs. And scientists have now gathered fairly a little bit of proof on these completely different theories. A number of the distinguished ones which have been mentioned at this assembly – there’s viral persistence. That is the concept that the coronavirus or components of the virus hand around in the physique after the acute sickness. There’s additionally a number of proof exhibiting immune dysfunction – autoimmunity in some sufferers. One other is that it appears some viruses individuals had earlier than COVID – particularly the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mono – are being reactivated, and the physique’s truly responding to that. There’s additionally massive curiosity within the penalties of irritation – particularly, the function of small blood clots referred to as microclots that may be noticed in lengthy COVID sufferers. So all of those theories are at play.
SHAPIRO: That is so many various theories. Any sense of which one is most definitely?
STONE: Not but, and it is essential to notice that none of those are essentially mutually unique. Some could be interrelated. There’s proof some could possibly be occurring in some sufferers, not others. In truth, there was fascinating analysis introduced right here indicating there could possibly be variations between what is going on on in feminine sufferers versus male sufferers. So the underside line is scientists have these completely different traces of proof about potential mechanisms. Which of these are literally driving the signs? – we do not actually know but. And, in fact, the reply could have implications for therapy. Proper now, treating lengthy COVID is in every single place. There at the moment are some focused medical trials beginning up that can assist take a look at a few of these theories about what’s behind the illness.
SHAPIRO: NPR’s Will Stone reporting from Santa Fe. Thanks.
STONE: Thanks.
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