Long COVID Breakthrough: Scientists pinpoint rogue immune cells behind breathlessness and fatigue.
Immune Cells Gone Rogue in Long COVID
For the first time, researchers have linked misbehaving immune cells to Long COVID symptoms. Normally, monocytes—immune cells born in the bone marrow—zoom through the bloodstream to the lungs, where they attack viruses and pump up the immune defence.
But the University of Manchester team discovered that in Long COVID sufferers, these monocytes take a wrong turn. Their faulty migration aligns with the most common complaint: shortness of breath. Different migration patterns also match up with crippling fatigue.
The Groundbreaking Study
Published today in the European Respiratory Journal, the study tracked 71 hospitalised COVID-19 patients and 142 follow-up outpatients from Manchester trusts between July 2020 and January 2021.
Using blood samples, scientists revealed how monocyte behaviour in severe cases can persist up to nine months after hospital discharge.
- Patients were split by disease severity based on oxygen needs.
- Severe cases included those needing ventilation or intensive care.
- Healthy frontline workers were tested for comparison.
- Participants completed detailed questionnaires on breathlessness and fatigue since catching COVID.
The team identified unique monocyte signatures separating those with lung damage and breathlessness from those battling fatigue—and from those feeling fine.
Big Backers Boost the Research
The study received fat funding from heavy hitters like:
- Wellcome Trust
- Royal Society
- Medical Research Council
- Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research
- Lister Institute
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- UK Research and Innovation
Expert Weighs In
Dr Elizabeth Mann, Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow at the University of Manchester, said:
“We know many COVID-19 patients suffer from Long COVID with symptoms like extreme fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog, and lung damage that can last for months or even years.”
“Treatment options are limited because we don’t fully understand the immune causes behind these symptoms.”
“Our discovery linking monocyte misbehaviour to specific Long COVID symptoms is a crucial step towards developing targeted treatments.”
