Researchers are looking into why some people get long Covid and why it occurs in the first place-some have opined that the body's immune system, once awoken, goes into overdrive and continues fighting the infection long after the initial bout, making the symptoms so much worse.
Anyway, here's an article from The Conversation which talks about this.
"Long COVID-19 and other chronic respiratory conditions after viral infections may stem from an overactive immune response in the lungs"
Thanks for keeping us updated Mary.
I have more URLS for anyone interested in looking at the innate immune system and interferons. A reminder that we are all different (which makes prevention and treatment difficult) so think of keeping informed, protected and the immune system at peak as your own arsenal of attack on the virus. (The Swiss cheese theory)
Increase interferons with heat. Interferons are important for the innate immune system to react quickly… and COVID seems to shut down in some. Discusses hot baths and hydrotherapy. Try not to suppress fever except at night when it can become dangerous (Not applicable to fever in infants and young children). https://youtu.be/6sdvw_0R240 Besides working with COVID patients, this Doc explains clearly, adds URLs sources. Roger Seheult, MD is the co-founder and lead professor at https://www.medcram.com. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and an Associate Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. The innate immune system and how to strengthen it. (It weakens as we age) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcaJsygMdfs
Type I interferon autoantibodies are associated with systemic immune alterations in patients with COVID-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34429372/
Editorial: Autoantibodies to Components of the Immune System, Including Type 1 Interferons, and the Risk of Severe COVID-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34538868/
Associations between type I interferon and antiphospholipid antibody status differ between ancestral backgrounds. (In Lupus) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29387437/
Studies: About 1 in 10 people had antibodies against interferons, just like the APS1 patients. None of these COVID patients, however, had any known autoimmune diseases. In laboratory experiments, Casanova’s team showed that these antibodies block the interferon response in cells exposed to SARS-CoV-2, thus preventing the cells from resisting the virus and controlling its spread. The team had found no such antibodies in people with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. They appeared to be a feature – a cause, likely – of some of the worst outcomes. https://magazine.ucsf.edu/your-immune-system-could-turn-covid-19-deadly
Thanks Mary! And thanks to for leading me to "TheConversation" which has some more great COVID articles