Dec. 16 (UPI) -- In what is being hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against long COVID-19, an Australian research team says it has identified dozens of genes responsible for causing the pernicious and mysterious malady.
While previous research has identified genes "associated" with long COVID, the authors of a study published this week in PLOS Computational Biology and Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences claim to have documented "causal" relationships between 32 genes and the likelihood of developing long COVID -- including 13 new genes not previous associated with the disease.
In another first, they also say they have identified three distinct "symptom-based subtypes" of long COVID, each with its own symptoms and underlying biology, which may help to explain why the condition has such wide and diverse symptoms.
"This work represents a significant step toward customized management and treatment strategies for long COVID, ultimately improving patient outcomes," say the authors, who are mostly from the University of South Australia.
Long COVID is a complex disease that affects multiple systems after infection by the SARS‑CoV‑2 coronavirus. Its symptoms include fatigue, pulmonary dysfunction, muscle and chest pain, dysautonomia -- a nervous system disorder that disrupts autonomic body processes such blood pressure and heart rate -- and cognitive disturbances such as "brain fog."
