July 7, 2022 – Long COVID continues to plague millions of people who contracted and recovered from their initial COVID infections.
Despite the large number of people who get the condition, there are still many unknowns when it comes to long-term COVID. But a new study in mice has revealed the possible causes of prolonged COVID and how it can best be treated.
The researchers found that the surviving mice had pulmonary fibrosis – or scarring of the lung tissue – as well as chronic inflammation in the lungs several weeks after they were cleared of the virus. Mice given an early dose of molnupiravir — one of three FDA-approved antivirals to treat COVID-19 — saw that their disease and its lingering symptoms were milder.
Although the results of mouse studies do not directly apply to humans, “COVID-19 in mice and humans represent key findings that may prove applicable to other future emerging pathologies of coronavirus disease,” the authors wrote.
The latest data from the CDC found that nearly 1 in 5 American adults who previously had COVID-19 develop symptoms of what has come to be known as persistent COVID, which include fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, mental health problems, and More ▼.
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