Ontario researchers say they've found what causes long-COVID symptoms
Researchers at Western University in London, Ont., say they have identified for the first time the cause of long COVID symptoms.
According to a press release issued Tuesday by Western, the LIVECOVIDFREE study, which is based at five centres throughout Ontario and spearheaded by Western professor Grace Parraga, is the largest MRI study of patients afflicted with long COVID.
The use of MRI technology — combined with inhaled xenon gas — allowed researchers to see that long-COVID symptoms are related to the microscopic abnormalities that affect how oxygen is exchanged from the lungs to the red blood cells.
The results of the study were published in the journal Radiology and reveal a potential cause for long-COVID symptoms.
“By understanding the cause, team members responsible for patient care have been able to target treatment for these patients,” the press release reads.
Long COVID is characterized by the feeling of brain fog, breathlessness, fatigue and limited capacity to do normal day-to-day things. The symptoms can last weeks or months following initial infection.
“I think it is always a conundrum when someone has symptoms, but you can't identify the problem. Because if you can't identify the problem, you can't identify solutions,” said Parraga, Tier 1 Canada research chair in lung imaging to transform outcomes at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
By having study participants inhale polarized xenon gas while inside an MRI, researchers could see in real time the function of the 300-500 million tiny alveolar sacs, which are about 1/5 of a mm in diameter and are responsible for delivering oxygen to the blood.
“With our MRI technique, we can watch in real-time the air moving through the alveolar membrane and through to the blood cells; and we can actually see the function of the tiny alveolar sacs in the lungs,” said Parraga. “What we saw on the MRI was that the transition of the oxygen into the red blood cells was depressed in these symptomatic patients who had had COVID-19, compared to healthy volunteers.”
Study participants with suspected long COVID were recruited from two London, Ont., hospitals -- London Health Sciences Centre's (LHSC) urgent COVID-19 care clinic and St. Joseph’s Health Care's post-acute COVID-19 program.
According to the release, some study participants were still symptomatic after 35 weeks. A one-year follow-up is now underway to better understand the results.
The study was done in collaboration with LHSC, St. Joseph’s, Lakehead University, McMaster University, Toronto Metropolitan University and Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.