LIINC Principal Investigators Dr. Michael Peluso and Dr. Steven Deeks write about some of the recent studies on Long COVID, with a view toward describing our current understanding of the condition. The discuss what some recent studies do well, and what researchers could do better, in piecing together clues needed to figure out the biology […]
Risk factors and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid associate with cognitive symptoms after mild COVID-19
Neurologists working with LIINC volunteers who opted into the Coronavirus Neurocognitive Study (CNS) have discovered certain cognitive risk factors for persistent neurological symptoms following COVID – one type of “Long COVID” – and found that certain abnormalities in the spinal fluid were present in such individuals.
Persistence, Magnitude, and Patterns of Post-acute Symptoms and Quality of Life Following Onset of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Cohort Description and Approaches for Measurement
In this study using clinical data collected from LIINC visits, we describe the volunteers in the cohort who are experiencing symptoms due to COVID for months after their infection – “Long COVID” – and describe our approach to measuring how people are doing as they recover from COVID-19.
Characterizing the COVID-19 Illness Experience to Inform the Study of Post-acute Sequelae and Recovery
Our social science team conducted long-form interviews with many LIINC participants to learn about what it was like recovering from COVID, with a focus on the experience of people who experienced “Long COVID” symptoms. They describe what lessons they learned from these conversations, and how we can use these lessons to better study “Long COVID.”
Markers of immune activation and inflammation in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Our laboratory scientists, working closely with our clinical scientists, measured markers of inflammation in the blood over 4 months following COVID-19. They were specifically looking at people with “long COVID” – symptoms that lasted at least 4 months following infection, in comparison to those who felt they had returned to normal. Our scientists found small […]
Discordant Virus-Specific Antibody Levels, Antibody Neutralization Capacity, and T-cell Responses Following 3 Doses of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in a Patient With Connective Tissue Disease
We did a deep dive into the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in a young woman on immunosuppressive therapy. We showed that despite developing a T cell response, she did not develop neutralizing antibodies to protect against COVID-19 despite 3 doses of the vaccine.
Long-term SARS-CoV-2-specific immune and inflammatory responses in individuals recovering from COVID-19 with and without post-acute symptoms
Our laboratory scientists, working closely with our clinical scientists, measured the T cell (CD4 and CD8 cell) responses to COVID-19 over 8 months following infection. They were specifically looking at people with “long COVID” – symptoms that lasted at least 4 months following infection, in comparison to those who felt they had returned to normal. […]
SARS-CoV-2 antibody magnitude and detectability are driven by disease severity, timing, and assay
Our epidemiologists working in close partnership with our clinical and laboratory scientists measured antibodies on 128 LIINC participants over the first 6 months in the study. They used 14 different types of antibody tests – some of which are widely available in doctor’s offices and hospitals and others which are research-only – and found that […]
Persistent COVID-19-associated neurocognitive symptoms in non-hospitalized patients
Our neurology collaborators analyzed data from the first 100 volunteers in LIINC to identify people with persistent neurological complaints. They performed an in-depth evaluation of two people reporting “brain fog” issues using neurocognitive testing. These findings led to the implementation of the Coronavirus Neurocognitive Study (CNS) which is now seeing LIINC volunteers to try to […]