Aftereffects of the new coronavirus: “Specific changes in blood substances” - announced by US research team

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

新型コロナ後遺症“血液中物質に特定の変化”米研究チーム発表

2023年10月15日 6時02分

新型コロナウイルスの感染後、症状が長引く人では、ストレス反応に関わるホルモンが減少するなど、血液中の物質に特定の変化がみられるとする研究成果を、アメリカの研究チームが発表しました。研究チームは新型コロナの「後遺症」の正確な診断や治療法の開発に応用できるとしています。

この研究は、アメリカ イエール大学の岩崎明子教授らの研究チームが、科学雑誌「ネイチャー」で発表しました。

研究チームは、

▽新型コロナに感染したあと、けん怠感や息苦しさなど、何らかの症状が長引く「後遺症」が1年以上ある人と

▽感染後、後遺症がない人

▽感染しなかった人など、

合わせて268人の血液成分を分析しました。

その結果、後遺症がある人たちでは、血液中にあるB細胞やT細胞と呼ばれる特定の免疫細胞が増加していたほか、体内で潜伏していたヘルペスウイルスが活性化するなどの変化が確認されたということです。

さらに、後遺症がある人では、体の状態を一定に保ちストレス反応に関わる「コルチゾール」というホルモンの量が、後遺症がない人や感染しなかった人と比べ、半減していました。

研究チームは、こうした変化を指標にすることで、新型コロナの後遺症の正確な診断や、治療法の開発につながるとしています。

岩崎教授は「後遺症の中でも、けん怠感は、コルチゾールの低下が要因だと考えられ、ほかの症状も、免疫とホルモンの量が不安定になることで起きている可能性がある。後遺症があることを周りに理解されず悩み続ける人も多いので、原因の解明を目指し、さらに研究を進めたい」と話しています。

Translation

An American research team announced its research results which indicated that people with prolonged symptoms after being infected with the new coronavirus had showed specific changes in substances in their blood, such as a decrease in hormones involved in stress responses. The research team believed that it could be applied to accurate diagnosis of the "aftereffects" of the new coronavirus and the development of treatments.

This research was published in the scientific journal Nature by a research team formed by Professor Akiko Iwasaki (岩崎明子) of Yale University in the United States.

The research team analyzed

▽People who had symptoms such as fatigue or shortness of breath somehow lingering for more than a year after being infected with the new coronavirus, and

▽People who had no aftereffects after infection

▽People who were not infected, etc.,

regarding their blood content up to a total of 268 people

As a result, in people with aftereffects, specific immune cells called B cells and T cells in the blood increased, and said that changes such as activation of the herpes virus that had been dormant in the body were being confirmed.

Furthermore, in people with after-effects, the amount of the hormone “cortisol,” which maintained a constant body condition and was involved in stress responses, was halved compared to people without after-effects or those who were not infected.

The research team believed that using these changes as indicators it would lead to accurate diagnosis of the aftereffects of the new coronavirus and the development of treatments.

Professor Iwasaki said, ``Among the aftereffects, fatigue is thought to be caused by a drop in cortisol, and other symptoms may also be caused by unstable immune and hormone levels. There are many people who continue to worry because those around them do not understand that they have after-effects, so I want to do further research aiming at elucidating the cause."

So, American research says that people with prolonged symptoms after being infected with the new coronavirus has showed specific changes in their blood, such as a decrease in hormones to deal with depression and an unstable immune level. It is believed that using these changes as indicators it would lead to accurate diagnosis of the aftereffects and the development of treatments. This is good news to those who are still suffering from the after-effect of the coronavirus.