Long Covid: MRI scans reveal new clues to symptoms

People who live with COVID-19 for a long time after being hospitalized are more likely to show some damage to their major organs, according to a new study.

MRI scans revealed that patients were three times more likely to have some sort of abnormality in multiple organs, including the lungs, brain and kidneys.

Researchers believe there may be a link to the severity of the disease.

It is hoped that British research will help develop more effective treatments for the long-lasting coronavirus.

The study, published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine, looked at 259 patients hospitalized with the virus.

MRI scans of major organs five months after discharge showed some significant differences when compared to a group of 52 people who had never been infected with the coronavirus.

The biggest effects were seen in the lungs, where scans were 14 times more likely to show abnormalities.

People with severe coronavirus infections were also three times more likely to have some abnormalities in their brains and twice as likely to have abnormalities in their kidneys on MRI scans.

There were no significant differences in heart or liver health.

Dr Betty Raman, from the University of Oxford and one of the study’s lead researchers, said people who live with coronavirus symptoms for a long time may experience some organ damage. He says it is clear that he has a high degree of sexuality.

“Five months after being discharged from hospital with COVID-19, we found more abnormalities in the lungs, brain and kidneys in these patients than in the group who had never been infected with COVID-19,” she said. .

“A patient’s age, the severity of their COVID-19 infection, and whether they had other illnesses at the same time were all important factors in whether damage to vital organs in the body was found.”

Researchers found that some of the symptoms, such as chest tightness and cough with lung abnormalities, were consistent with signs of organ damage revealed on MRI scans. But not all of the symptoms experienced by people who have lived with the coronavirus for a long time can be directly linked to what is seen on scans.

Dr. Raman also said that multiple organ abnormalities appear to be more common among people who are hospitalized and still complain of physical and mental health problems after recovering from their initial infection. .

“What we see is that people with multisystem pathology on MRI, meaning two or more organs are affected, report severe and very severe mental and physical impairment. “They are four times more likely to do so,” she said.

“Our findings suggest that long-term, multidisciplinary follow-up services focusing on pulmonary and extrapulmonary health (kidneys, brain, mental health), especially for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, It also highlights the need for

Professor Chris Breitling from the University of Leicester, who is leading the Phosp-Covid study, said the study was part of a wider effort to understand the different group of symptoms that make up the syndrome known as Long Covid. .

“This detailed study of whole-body images confirms changes in multiple organs months after hospitalization with COVID-19,” he said.

“Phosp-Covid research is working to understand why this happens and how we can develop tests and new treatments for long-lasting Covid.”