ISLAMABAD:Patients with long COVID syndrome continue to have higher measures of blood clotting, which may explain their persistent symptoms such as reduced physical fitness and fatigue, according to a study.
The symptoms of long COVID syndrome, including breathlessness, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance, can last weeks to months after the initial infection has resolved, and is estimated to affect millions of people worldwide.
The researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ireland examined 50 patients with symptoms of long COVID syndrome to better understand if abnormal blood clotting is involved, Medical Daily reported .
Their study, published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, found that clotting markers were significantly elevated in the blood of patients with long COVID syndrome compared with healthy controls.
These clotting markers were higher in patients who required hospitalisation with their initial COVID-19 infection.
However, the researchers also found that even those who were able to manage their illness at home still had persistently high clotting markers.
They observed that higher clotting was directly related to other symptoms of long COVID syndrome, such as reduced physical fitness and fatigue. Even though markers of inflammation had all returned to normal levels, increased clotting potential was still present in long COVID patients.