1/17/2024 0 Comments Corona virus attacks fat tissue![]() That raises the possibility that fat tissue could serve as a “reservoir,” potentially fueling long COVID.Ĭould removing fat tissue treat or prevent some cases of long COVID? It’s a tantalizing question, but the research is preliminary, said Dr. Lab tests showed that the virus can reproduce in fat tissue. In a recent study, they found the virus and signs of inflammation in fat tissue taken from people who had died from COVID. Stanford University researchers are among those who have found evidence that the coronavirus can infect fat cells. Obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 infections and scientists are trying to understand why. Some scientists also believe that Epstein-Barr triggers chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition that bears many similarities to long COVID, but that also is unproven. But it’s possible that Epstein-Barr is causing symptoms in those who do, although scientists say more study is needed. Not all long COVID patients have these markers. The others soon learned of that nickname and embraced it. Watson started her virtual long haulers group that April. “Then obviously it went on, and I think we stopped joking.” ![]() “In 2020, we would joke that we’d get together for Christmas and have a party,” Pope said. “We started sort of coming together because it was literally the only place where we could do that,” Pope said. She and some similarly ill colleagues connected with Perego on Twitter. After a month she started having some “OK” days, but symptoms persisted. Pope, 46, started chronicling what she was experiencing in March 2020: flu-like symptoms, then her lungs, heart and joints were affected. It may thus be no coincidence that it was three women who helped shine the first light on long COVID. Biology and behavior are probably both at play, Klein said. “I don’t think we should ignore that,” she said. Scientists also are studying whether women’s fluctuating hormone levels may increase the risks.Īnother possible factor: Women are more likely than men to seek health care and often more attuned to changes in their bodies, Klein noted. Women’s bodies also tend to have more fat tissue and emerging research suggests the coronavirus may hide in fat after infection. Some scientists believe long COVID could result from an autoimmune response triggered by the virus. Women are also much more likely than men to have autoimmune diseases, where the body mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells. Women’s immune systems generally mount stronger reactions to viruses, bacteria, parasites and other germs, noted Sabra Klein, a Johns Hopkins professor who studies immunity. Many studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that women are more likely than men to develop long COVID. Evidence suggests most recover substantially within a year, but recent data show that it has contributed to more than 3,500 U.S. Millions of people worldwide have had long COVID, reporting various symptoms including fatigue, lung problems, and brain fog and other neurological symptoms. ![]() WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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