Aussie Team Identifies 32 Genes Causing Long COVID-19

In what is being hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against long COVID-19, an Australian research team says it has identified dozens of genes responsible for the pernicious and mysterious condition, Don Jacobson reported for United Press International (UPI).

Long COVID is more common among patients who were hospitalized or treated in intensive care units, but it can also occur in those who initially experienced only mild symptoms.

While previous research identified genes “associated” with long COVID, the authors of a study published this week in PLOS Computational Biology and Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences say they have documented “causal” relationships between 32 genes and the likelihood of developing long COVID — including 13 genes not previously associated with the disease.

Long COVID is a complex condition that affects multiple systems following infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Symptoms include fatigue, pulmonary dysfunction, muscle and chest pain, dysautonomia — a nervous system disorder that disrupts autonomic processes such as blood pressure and heart rate — and cognitive disturbances such as “brain fog.”

In another first, the researchers say they have identified three distinct “symptom-based subtypes” of long COVID, each with its own symptoms and underlying biology, which may help explain the condition’s wide-ranging manifestations.

“This work represents a significant step toward customized management and treatment strategies for long COVID, ultimately improving patient outcomes,” the authors said. Most of the researchers are from the University of South Australia.

Estimates of how many COVID-19 patients develop long COVID vary widely, ranging from 10% to 70%, with about 65 million people affected globally.

Long COVID is more common among patients who were hospitalized or treated in intensive care units, but it can also occur in those who initially experienced only mild symptoms.