Long COVID Echoes History: Post-Infection Illnesses a Recurring Pattern
NEW HAVEN, CT – Long COVID, the persistent health issues following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, isn’t a novel phenomenon, but rather the latest manifestation of a long-recognized pattern of post-acute infection syndromes stretching back over a century, according to research published in Trends in Immunology. A team at Yale University, alongside collaborators, has found striking similarities between the lingering effects of ancient epidemics – including influenza outbreaks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – and the symptoms reported by individuals with long COVID today.
The study highlights a recurring pattern of debilitating symptoms following infection,nonetheless of the pathogen. Researchers analyzed documented cases from major epidemics to illustrate shared features of these post-acute syndromes, noting a surprising consistency in reported exhaustion and other long-term effects. ”One surprising finding was how closely historical descriptions of post-influenza exhaustion from the 1889-1890 epidemic mirror modern accounts of long COVID,” explained researcher Jeffrey Miller. ”Reading physicians’ notes from that era felt almost indistinguishable from today’s clinical reports.”
The research underscores the need to understand the underlying biological mechanisms driving these syndromes, which remain largely unclear. “The greatest challenge to developing treatments for long COVID is understanding the underlying pathobiology,” stated co-author Janna Moen of Yale University school of Medicine. “Several hypotheses exist,from viral persistence to immune dysregulation. But without a better understanding, diagnostic tests and targeted therapies are difficult to design.”
Notably, historical accounts also reveal that children are frequently affected by these long-term post-infection illnesses – a detail often overlooked in current discussions focused primarily on adult cases. The Yale team is currently employing a multi-pronged approach, utilizing patient data, biospecimens, and animal models, to investigate potential mechanisms and identify therapeutic targets applicable across various post-acute infection syndromes.
Co-author Akiko Iwasaki of Yale university School of Medicine hopes the research will destigmatize long COVID and foster collaborative efforts toward effective treatments. “By situating long COVID within the history of post-infectious illnesses, we aim to reduce stigma and encourage coordinated efforts to develop effective treatments,” she said.
This work was supported by the Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Collaborative COVID-19 Initiative, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
