As many as one out of every 5 COVID survivors has “long” COVID, which means that even after they’ve
killed off the actual virus, they continue to feel like … crap. That’s super unsettling,
but it’s definitely not unprecedented. Welcome to MinuteEarth.
Like COVID, other respiratory diseases have “long” versions too. Babies who get RSV are
way more likely to eventually get asthma. Lots of people who had SARS more than a decade ago
still have scars on their lungs. And as many as a quarter of people who get the flu still have
coughing fits and trouble breathing months later. Lots of supposedly short-term viruses
can become long-term problems, and it seems like there are three different reasons why:
The first is that when you get one of these viruses, your body often sends out a bunch
of proteins to your lungs; the proteins’ job is to irritate the area and draw in fluids,
generally making life difficult for the virus. But once the virus clears, the proteins are hard to
get rid of. They sometimes end up sticking around - and wreaking havoc - for weeks.
The second reason for “long” diseases is your immune system. Normally, it pumps out lots of
different pathogen-fighting cells. But when you’re infected, your immune system switches
to focusing on specialized virus-fighting cells. After the infection is gone, though,
it takes a while for the system to switch back to a more general approach. During that time, even
bacteria that your body could normally control can run amok and cause all sorts of problems.
And third, the specific tissue ravaged by these respiratory viruses - the lining of
the lungs - sometimes scars as it heals from the infection, which can make your lungs less
efficient at bringing in oxygen, permanently. Needless to say, this is a pretty scary result.
But these examples are from other diseases; what do they mean for long COVID sufferers? Well, we’re
seeing all three of these processes at work - with some differences. COVID seems slightly less likely
to lead to bad bacterial infections than other viruses, which is great, but way more likely to
leave behind trouble-making proteins in the lungs, which has sent lots of people back to the hospital
after they think they’ve recovered. And because COVID attacks lots of different cells, the virus
can lead to long-lasting scarring not just in the lungs, but also in the heart and the brain.
But our previous experience with long diseases means that we have some tools
to fight all three of these long-term problems. For example, doctors now know to look for - and
treat - potential post-COVID bacterial infections. They have also developed a
drug to remove those pesky lung-inflammation causing proteins AND another that causes
cells - the ones in your lung lining, at least - to regrow while limiting harmful scarring.
Since the first people to get “long” COVID only got COVID a couple years ago, we’re still not
exactly sure about its really long-term effects - or why so many long haulers also have symptoms
like fatigue and joint pain. But, hopefully, the head start we got from studying other “long”
diseases means that one day, the suffering caused by “long” COVID will be long gone.
This video was made in partnership with Bill Gates. Thanks Bill!