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Two years later… and the damage is still there.
A new study followed Long COVID patients 2 years after infection. The findings? Not subtle.
They measured what the virus left behind. Let’s walk through it. 🧵
h/t @njenkinsphd.bsky.social
Two years later… and the damage is still there.
A new study followed Long COVID patients 2 years after infection. The findings? Not subtle.
They measured what the virus left behind. Let’s walk through it. 🧵
h/t @njenkinsphd.bsky.social
Comments
First: the nervous system.
They used microneurography—a tiny needle in the nerve—to measure sympathetic activity.
Long COVID patients had 77% more nerve bursts than controls. That's fight-or-flight mode, stuck on.
Their blood vessels weren’t functioning either.
Flow-mediated dilation (how arteries respond to demand) was 26% lower. That’s a marker of vascular dysfunction—and a risk for heart disease.
Their hearts? Also affected.
Strain imaging showed subtle but real impairments. This isn’t always seen with basic tests—but it is seen in early-stage heart failure.
And when asked to push themselves on a bike test, they couldn’t.
Their peak oxygen use was 21% lower—despite trying just as hard. Same effort, lower output. That’s not laziness. That’s physiological.
The blood told the rest of the story:
🩸 Higher oxidative stress
🩸 More endothelial debris (a sign of vessel damage)
🩸 Lower antioxidant defenses
All of this—two years after infection.
So no—it’s not just anxiety.
It’s not deconditioning.
And it’s not over.
Still think reinfection is no big deal?
Still think this is “mild”?
And I was psychologically hypervigilant for personal history reasons before, but this...it just does not let up.
In contrast, scientists have been plugging away…just wish anyone would listen.
I don’t want her to get COVID again as breathing is a challenge already. She also masks in public as well.