Nearly two years after infection, some long COVID patients still carry traces of the coronavirus in their intestinal tissue — not as a ghost of illness, but as a possible driver of it. Researchers at UCSF have found that the immune system in these patients is neither at war nor at peace, but suspended in a costly stalemate: inflamed yet unable to clear what inflames it. The discovery, concentrated in gut tissue rather than blood, suggests that medicine has been looking for answers in the wrong place, and that healing may require addressing both what lingers and what has been lost.
Long COVID immune system trapped in prolonged viral battle, UCSF study suggests
Millions worldwide experience lasting long COVID symptoms including fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and post-exertional malaise, significantly impacting quality of life and work capacity.