{"id":123271,"date":"2025-05-22T19:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T19:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/123271\/"},"modified":"2025-05-22T19:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T19:03:08","slug":"gut-inflammation-linked-to-post-covid-fatigue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/123271\/","title":{"rendered":"Gut Inflammation Linked to Post-COVID Fatigue"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>A new study highlights the link between gut health and post-COVID syndrome (PCS), revealing that patients with prior gastrointestinal issues are more likely to experience post-viral fatigue. Researchers analyzed samples from PCS patients and identified key immune and gut-related biomarkers linked to inflammation and intestinal barrier dysfunction.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, altered levels of IL-6 and a higher LBP\/sCD14 ratio suggest chronic immune activation in PCS sufferers. These findings suggest gut monitoring may be vital in predicting and managing long-term post-COVID symptoms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Immune Changes:<\/strong> PCS patients showed increased inflammatory markers like IL-6 and an elevated LBP\/sCD14 ratio.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gut Health Matters:<\/strong> Individuals with prior gastrointestinal symptoms were more likely to develop post-viral fatigue.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Predictive Potential:<\/strong> Monitoring gut-related biomarkers may help identify and treat PCS earlier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>Medical University of Vienna<\/p>\n<p><strong>In a recent study, a research team from the Medical University of Vienna has gained new insights into post-COVID syndrome (PCS) and the relevance of a healthy gastrointestinal tract. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study, which was recently published in the journal\u00a0Allergy, shows that PCS patients have altered inflammatory markers and a disturbed intestinal barrier, which could contribute to the development of post-viral fatigue.<\/p>\n<p>  <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gut-inflammation-post-COVID-fatigue-neurosicence.jpg\" alt=\"This shows a man holding his stomach.\"  \/> In addition, there were increased IL-6 levels, which are considered a marker for systemic inflammatory reactions. Credit: Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p>The researchers, led by Eva Untersmayr-Elsenhuber from MedUni Vienna\u2019s Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, analyzed data from a prospective observational study.<\/p>\n<p>The course of SARS-CoV-2 infections and gastrointestinal symptoms before, during and after the infection were examined. In addition, blood, saliva and stool samples from PCS patients were analyzed.<\/p>\n<p>The results show that patients with pre-existing gastrointestinal complaints have an increased risk of developing PCS fatigue. At the same time, prominent changes were found in certain biomarkers.<\/p>\n<p>For example, PCS patients showed an increased LBP\/sCD14 ratio and lower IL-33 levels, which indicates altered immune activation and a reduced intestinal barrier. In addition, there were increased IL-6 levels, which are considered a marker for systemic inflammatory reactions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection can have long-term effects on the immune system and intestinal health that contribute to the development of PCS,\u201d explains Eva Untersmayr-Elsenhuber. She is co-director of the National Reference Center for Postviral Syndromes at MedUni Vienna.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Developing targeted treatment strategies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study underlines the central role of the gastrointestinal tract in the development of long-term consequences after COVID-19. Monitoring gastrointestinal symptoms and biomarkers could help to identify at-risk patients at an early stage and develop targeted treatment strategies. This could be particularly important for the treatment of post-viral fatigue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is particularly exciting is that our study participants were mostly young and healthy before the infection. Even the Covid disease was mostly mild or even asymptomatic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne difference was the more frequently reported gastrointestinal complaints in the group that developed post-viral fatigue,\u201d explains Johanna Rohrhofer from the Center for Pathophysiology Infectiology and Immunology, lead author of the study.<\/p>\n<p>The research team plans to validate the findings in further studies. \u201cThe identification of predictive markers for PCS could enable personalized prevention and treatment in the future,\u201d says Eva Untersmayr-Elsenhuber.<\/p>\n<p>About this post COVID fatigue research news<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#41313324323224012c2425342f283628242f6f20226f2035\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Karin Kirschbichler<\/a><br \/><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/meduniwien.ac.at\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medical University of Vienna<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact: <\/strong>Karin Kirschbichler \u2013 Medical University of Vienna<br \/><strong>Image: <\/strong>The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Original Research: <\/strong>Open access.<br \/>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1111\/all.16593\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gastrointestinal Barrier Disruption in Post-COVID Syndrome Fatigue Patients<\/a>\u201d by Eva Untersmayr-Elsenhuber et al. Allergy<\/p>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gastrointestinal Barrier Disruption in Post-COVID Syndrome Fatigue Patients<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Background<\/p>\n<p>Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) is the term for a condition with persistent symptoms in a proportion of COVID-19 patients after asymptomatic, mild, or severe disease courses. Numbers vary, but the current estimate is that after COVID-19 approximately 10% develop PCS.<\/p>\n<p>The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and associations with the development of PCS with fatigue, post-exertional malaise (PEM), orthostatic dysregulation, autonomous dysregulation, and\/or neurocognitive dysregulation.<\/p>\n<p>Methods<\/p>\n<p>By combining medical record data from a prospective observational study with symptom analysis before, during, and after SARS-CoV-2 infection, we aimed to identify potential risk factors and predictive markers for PCS. Additionally, we analyzed blood, saliva, and stool samples from this well-characterized PCS patient cohort to biologically validate our findings.<\/p>\n<p>Results<\/p>\n<p>We identified significant associations between pre-existing GI complaints and the development of PCS Fatigue. PCS patients showed higher LBP\/sCD14 ratios, lower IL-33 levels, and higher IL-6 levels compared to control groups. Our results highlight the critical role of the GI tract in PCS development of post-viral Fatigue.<\/p>\n<p>Conclusion<\/p>\n<p>We propose that the viral infection disrupts pathways related to the innate immune response and GI barrier function, evidenced by intestinal low-grade inflammation and GI barrier leakage. Monitoring GI symptoms and markers before, during, and after SARS-CoV-2 infection is crucial for identifying predictive clinical phenotypes in PCS.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the interaction between viral infections, immune responses, and gut integrity could lead to more effective diagnostic and treatment strategies, ultimately reducing the burden on PCS patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: A new study highlights the link between gut health and post-COVID syndrome (PCS), revealing that patients with&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[215,15991,54791,105,1118,54792,7227,14052,219,220,54793,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-123271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-brain-research","9":"tag-fatigue","10":"tag-gut-inflammation","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-long-covid","13":"tag-medical-university-of-vienna","14":"tag-microbiome","15":"tag-microbiota","16":"tag-neurobiology","17":"tag-neuroscience","18":"tag-post-covid-fatigue","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114553041968847477","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}