Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have identified a potential biomarker for Long Covid, according to a university announcement released this week. The protein PTX-3 was found to remain elevated in the blood of patients who experienced severe cases of Covid-19, even months after the initial infection subsided.
The study, published in the journal “Frontiers in Immunology”, examined blood samples from 141 individuals who had recovered from Covid-19, analyzing them at ten weeks and ten months post-infection. These values were compared to a control group of 98 individuals who had not been infected with the virus. While other acute phase proteins returned to normal levels relatively quickly following infection, PTX-3 consistently remained significantly elevated in patients who had experienced severe illness, persisting ten months later.
The research team posits that these elevated PTX-3 levels could indicate either ongoing repair mechanisms within the body or the presence of residual SARS-CoV-2 remnants. Consequently, the protein may serve as a valuable biomarker for detecting long-term tissue damage and potential complications arising from Covid-19. Further investigation is planned to validate these findings and explore the implications for patient care.
