Inflammation after COVID may be caused by 'fighter-bomber' cells combatting the virus, study finds
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Loading... - Lily Williams
- 05 May 2023
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Chronic inflammation after COVID-19 may be caused by "fighter-bomber" immune cells trying to beat it — not the virus itself, Queensland researchers have found.
The ongoing study, led by the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, is examining the behaviour of macrophages — the "fighter-bombers" of the immune system which take out the sick cells — researcher Larisa Labzin said.
"The problem comes when that happens too much, and essentially we have all of this collateral damage caused by all of these immune responses, telling your cells to arm themselves to the hilt," she said.
"[They're] actually taking out a lot of the really important cells that are needed for us to do things like breathe, and that's when we end up in hospital needing things like oxygen."
Inflammation is what drives the fever response to the disease and is closely linked to long COVID, Dr Labzin said.
Hospitals currently give the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone to COVID patients after the virus has peaked, but this study aims to design drugs that can be given earlier, she said. Read More..
