New research reveals long-lasting autoantibodies in almost all exposed to COVID-19

Medical News: In a groundbreaking study, researchers from top institutions in Sweden have uncovered the widespread presence of autoantibodies - proteins that mistakenly attack the body's own cells - in people who had COVID-19 even in merely mild infections. These autoantibodies, which are newly formed due to the infection, have shown to persist in the body for at least a year. This Medical News report reveals new insights from the study, offering a clearer understanding of how COVID-19 continues to affect people long after recovery.


New research reveals long-lasting autoantibodies in almost all exposed to COVID-19

Scientists from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University, and Danderyd Hospital in Sweden collaborated on the research. Their findings suggest that people with mild to severe cases of COVID-19 are at risk of developing these persistent autoantibodies, which could contribute to long-term symptoms, also known as long COVID.
 
What Are Autoantibodies and Why Do They Matter?
Autoantibodies are proteins that your immune system creates by mistake. Instead of defending the body from harmful invaders like bacteria or viruses, they attack the body’s own healthy cells. In some autoimmune diseases, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, autoantibodies are the culprits behind the body’s immune system turning against itself.
 
The research team found that many people who recovered from COVID-19, even those with mild cases, were developing new autoantibodies. These antibodies did not exist in the patients before they were infected with the virus. The persistence of these autoantibodies in the body could explain why some people experience long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, brain fog, or muscle pain, long after the initial infection has cleared.
 
The Scope of the Study
The researchers tracked 525 individuals, including healthcare workers and hospitalized COVID-19 patients, over a period of 16 months during 2020 and 2021. Using advanced proteome-wide and targeted protein arrays, the team was able to detect autoantibodies in the blood at five different time points. Their study revealed that the new-onset autoantibodies emerged following SARS-CoV-2 infection and remained elevated for at least 12 months.
 
One of the key takeaways is that these autoantibodies were more prevalent in people who had severe COVID-19 cases, but even mild cases were not exempt from developing them. The study also found a connection between certain types of autoantibodies and neuropsychiatric symptoms like anxiety and depression, which are commonly reported by those suffering from long COVID.
 
Persistent and Prevalent: The Emergence of Autoantibodies
The study discovered that approximately 41% of individuals developed at least one new-onset autoantibody following their COVID-19 infection. These autoantibodies remained present in the bloodstream for over a year. Three distinct patterns were observed: some autoantibodies remained stable o ver time, some were transient and declined after a period, and some appeared later but persisted.
 
Surprisingly, 60% of these newly developed autoantibodies were still present a full 12 months after the infection, suggesting a long-lasting impact of COVID-19 on the immune system. This persistence of autoantibodies could potentially lead to long-term health issues.
 
Autoantibodies Linked to Long COVID Symptoms
The study identified several specific autoantibodies associated with post-COVID-19 symptoms, particularly neuropsychiatric issues. Three types of autoantibodies were found to be linked to a higher risk of developing mental health problems after recovering from COVID-19. These included antibodies against CALU, MYO16, and SNURF proteins. People with these autoantibodies were more likely to report anxiety, memory problems, and other cognitive issues.
 
Additionally, autoantibodies against other proteins were linked to physical symptoms like muscle and joint pain, hearing problems, and fatigue, all of which are common complaints among long COVID sufferers. This suggests that the lingering effects of COVID-19 might be due to the immune system’s misfired response, continuing to target the body long after the virus has been cleared.
 
Molecular Mimicry: A Possible Explanation
One of the most intriguing findings from the study was the potential explanation for how these autoantibodies are formed. The researchers suggest a process called molecular mimicry, where the immune system confuses the body’s proteins with viral proteins. In this case, the researchers found that some of the autoantibodies target proteins that share similarities with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which the immune system originally targeted to fight off the virus.
 
The muscle proteins TRIM63 and CCDC63, which were attacked by autoantibodies in some patients, share sequence similarities with a part of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This resemblance might explain why the immune system, in its attempt to neutralize the virus, ends up attacking the body’s own muscle tissues, leading to long-lasting symptoms.
 
Vaccination and Autoantibodies: What’s the Connection?
Interestingly, the study also explored whether vaccination had any impact on these autoantibodies. While the majority of individuals in the study were vaccinated after recovering from COVID-19, the researchers noted that autoantibodies like anti-SNURF increased after vaccination in some cases. However, there was no evidence that vaccination worsened the condition or led to new symptoms.
 
Conclusion: Implications for Future Health
This study shines a spotlight on the potential long-term health consequences of COVID-19, especially for those who develop autoantibodies. The presence of these self-targeting antibodies may explain the lasting symptoms many people experience, even months after their initial infection. While not all autoantibodies lead to severe illness, their persistence in the body raises concerns about the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the immune system.
 
Furthermore, the researchers emphasize the importance of continued study into the role of autoantibodies in post-viral syndromes, not just for COVID-19 but for other viral infections as well. The study’s findings point to the need for personalized treatment strategies for long COVID sufferers, particularly for those with neuropsychiatric symptoms.
 
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Nature Communications.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53356-5
 
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/new-study-reveals-the-role-of-autoantibodies-in-post-covid-19-vaccination-syndrome