A study led by researchers at Western University has revealed the cause of the long-term symptoms of COVID. The new data, published by Western professor Grace Parraga, and the LIVECOVIDFREE study, based in five centers in Ontario, are the largest MRI study in patients with long-term CoVID. The term long-term COVID refers to symptoms of brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue and a feeling of tightness while doing everyday things, which often last for weeks and months after infection. This is the first study to show a possible cause of long-term CoVID, which has helped doctors in the study target treatment for patients. “I think it’s always an enigma when someone has symptoms, but you can’t identify the problem,” said Parraga, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair at Lung Imaging to Transform Outcomes at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. “If you can not identify the problem, you can not find solutions.” Using x-ray inhaled x-rays, the researchers found that the symptoms were caused by tiny abnormalities that affect the way oxygen is exchanged by the lungs into red blood cells. The researchers used the technology to monitor the function of 300-500 million tiny alveolar sacs, which are about 1/5 of a millimeter in diameter and are responsible for transporting oxygen to the blood. “What we saw on MRI was that the passage of oxygen to the red blood cells was depressing in these symptomatic patients who had COVID-19, compared with healthy volunteers,” Parraga said. Further CT scans showed an “abnormal cut” of the vascular tree, which showed an impact on the tiny blood vessels that carry red blood cells to the cells to be oxygenated. Parraga said the study showed no difference in severity between patients treated with COVID-19 and those who recovered without treatment. He said this is an important finding as the latest wave of COVID-19 has affected many people who did not receive hospital treatment. To conduct the study, the researchers recruited patients suspected of having long-term COVID-19 from the London-based COVID-19 emergency care clinic and the COVID-19 Post-Acute Program. Joseph’s Health Care London. Some participants experienced persistent dyspnea for more than six weeks after infection, while others continued to show symptoms after 35 weeks. One of the participants is Alex Kopacz, a Londoner and Canadian bobsleigh Olympic gold medalist, who described his experience with COVID-19 as “shocking” and believed the virus would not affect him in the long run as he is a young athlete. “I was on oxygen for almost two months after COVID and it took me almost three months to get to a place where I could go for a walk without panting,” Kopacz said. “The message for me is that we need to remember that this virus can have very serious long-term consequences, which are not insignificant.” Researchers are now conducting a one-year follow-up to better understand these results. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers outside London at Lakehead University, McMaster University, Toronto Metropolitan University and Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
