PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Largest study of its kind finds common lab tests aren’t reliable for diagnosing Long COVID

Researchers call attention to treating symptoms even if blood panels return normal

2024-08-13
(Press-News.org) A new study found that most routine laboratory tests are not reliable for diagnosing Long COVID, also known as Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).

The study, published today in Annals of Internal Medicine, found no reliable biomarker among 25 routine clinical laboratory values for prior infection, PASC or specific types of PASC clusters. This suggests none of these routine labs can serve as a clinically useful biomarker of PASC.

"Our study shows patients can have severe Long COVID with normal lab results. This suggests doctors should not focus on the results of blood panels to diagnose Long COVID but should focus more on symptoms and ways to help patients get relief by treating their symptoms," said the study's first author, Kristine Erlandson, MD, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Seven percents of all adults in the U.S., nearly 18 million people, currently have long COVID, according to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

“Our challenge is to discover biomarkers that can help us quickly and accurately diagnose long COVID to ensure people struggling with this disease receive the most appropriate care as soon as possible,” said David Goff, MD, PhD, director for the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. “Long COVID symptoms can prevent someone from returning to work or school, and may even make everyday tasks a burden, so the ability for rapid diagnosis is key.”

This study was funded by National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative. The RECOVER initiative includes multiple research studies that involve thousands of participants from across the country. In Colorado, these studies take place in the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) at CU Anschutz.

To investigate clinical laboratory markers of SARS-CoV-2 and PASC, the researchers examined data from nearly 10,000 adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers recruited from over 80 enrolling sites across 33 U.S. states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, making it one of the largest and most diverse studies of its kind.

The study compared results in several ways: between participants with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection at six months after infection, between participants with and without PASC and between participants with each of four most common PASC symptom phenotypes and those unlikely to have PASC.

They found participants with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection showed modest increases in HbA1c (a marker of long-term blood sugar levels) and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR), along with small decreases in platelet counts.

“While these differences are statistically significant, these associations are generally small and not reliable enough to serve as diagnostic biomarkers for PASC,” Erlandson says.

The researchers suggest this data shows the complexity of PASC as a condition that may involve multiple physiological pathways beyond simple laboratory markers, such as those for inflammation, anemia or other markers.

“Long COVID has been very elusive; numerous possible symptoms, no definite cause and no clear treatment. We hear from patients that their concerns are dismissed by providers because their lab tests are normal. In this study, even the exhaustive list of routine blood tests could not help in making a PASC diagnosis. This is an important observation in PASC research as prior smaller studies showed inconsistent abnormalities in some blood tests. Until a reliable biomarker is found, the best diagnostic modality for PASC remains the old-fashioned history taking and clinical assessment,” Grace McComsey, MD, senior author of the paper, professor and vice dean of clinical and translational research at Case Western Reserve University.

The researchers also note that it’s still important to do routine laboratory tests to rule out other conditions during the process of diagnosing PASC.

About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked independent hospitals - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado – which see more than 2 million adult and pediatric patient visits yearly. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by $705 million in research grants. For more information, visit www.cuanschutz.edu.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Engineers make tunable, shape-changing metamaterial inspired by vintage toys

Engineers make tunable, shape-changing metamaterial inspired by vintage toys
2024-08-12
Common push puppet toys in the shapes of animals and popular figures can move or collapse with the push of a button at the bottom of the toys’ base. Now, a team of UCLA engineers has created a new class of tunable dynamic material that mimics the inner workings of push puppets, with applications for soft robotics, reconfigurable architectures and space engineering. Inside a push puppet, there are connecting cords that, when pulled taught, will make the toy stand stiff. But by loosening these cords, the “limbs” of the toy will go limp. Using the same cord tension-based principle that controls a puppet, researchers have developed a new type of metamaterial, a material ...

Start-up Whisper Aero uses the ORNL Summit supercomputer to test concepts for an ultraquiet electric airplane

Start-up Whisper Aero uses the ORNL Summit supercomputer to test concepts for an ultraquiet electric airplane
2024-08-12
From a nondescript industrial building in the small town of Crossville, Tennessee, the team of engineers at Whisper Aero is planning a revolution in aviation technology. Previously home to a publisher of magazines — including, coincidentally, Trade-A-Plane, an airplane sales publication started in 1937 — the long-empty property’s cavernous spaces are now filled with multidisciplinary activities that include the creation of a new electric aircraft engine. In January 2024, employees of the 3-year-old start-up moved into their new headquarters, refurbishing its dusty rooms into a 21st century aerospace technology facility with areas ...

New study unveils 16,000 years of climate history in the tropical Andes

2024-08-12
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new study that explores ancient temperatures and rainfall patterns in the tropical Andes of South America has revealed how 16,000 years of climate history in this part of the world was driven by carbon dioxide levels and ocean currents from global climate events. Led by Brown University researchers, the study marks the first high-resolution temperature record covering the past 16,000 years in the tropical Andes and could help scientists predict and mitigate future climate impacts in tropical regions of the planet. The work is described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. “Usually ...

The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars welcomes two more members

The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars welcomes two more members
2024-08-12
Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah (the U) are proud to announce the induction of two physician-scientists, Heloisa Soares, MD, PhD, and Skyler Johnson, MD, as members of The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars. The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars supports scientists who focus on translating research discoveries made in the lab into innovations that improve outcomes for cancer patients. Scholars receive financial support for their scientific work, have opportunities for mentorship, and collaborate with other society members in advancing scientific discoveries. “The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars ...

UMass Amherst researchers create new method for orchestrating successful collaboration among robots

2024-08-12
AMHERST, Mass. – New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that programming robots to create their own teams and voluntarily wait for their teammates results in faster task completion, with the potential to improve manufacturing, agriculture and warehouse automation. This research was recognized as a finalist for Best Paper Award on Multi-Robot Systems at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2024. “There’s a long history of debate on whether we want to build a single, powerful humanoid robot that can do all ...

Co-mentors announced in unique opportunity for PCCM fellows

2024-08-12
Glenview, Illinois – For the second year of the APCCMPD and CHEST Medical Educator Scholar Diversity Fellowship, Tristan Huie, MD, FCCP, and Anna Neumeier, MD, will be co-mentors for 2025. Designed to pair a fellow-in-training with an established medical educator, the unique scholarship was launched in August 2023 by the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors (APCCMPD) to improve diversity in respiratory care. The program focuses on creating opportunities for fellows at institutions ...

AI poses no existential threat to humanity – new study finds

2024-08-12
ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) cannot learn independently or acquire new skills, meaning they pose no existential threat to humanity, according to new research from the University of Bath and the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. The study, published today as part of the proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2024) – the premier international conference in natural language processing – reveals that LLMs have a superficial ability to follow instructions and excel at proficiency in language, ...

Routine lab tests are not a reliable way to diagnose long COVID

2024-08-12
A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported study has found that routine lab tests may not be useful in making a long COVID diagnosis for people who have symptoms of the condition. The study, part of NIH’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (NIH RECOVER) Initiative and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, highlights how challenging it can be to identify and diagnose a novel illness such as long COVID.   “Our challenge is to discover biomarkers that can help us quickly and accurately diagnose long ...

Tracking the color of light

Tracking the color of light
2024-08-12
Since the first demonstration of the laser in the 1960s, laser spectroscopy has become an essential tool for studying the detailed structures and dynamics of atoms and molecules. Advances in laser technology have further enhanced its capabilities. There are two main types of laser spectroscopy: frequency comb-based laser spectroscopy and tunable continuous-wave (CW) laser spectroscopy. Comb-based laser spectroscopy enables extremely precise frequency measurements, with an accuracy of up to 18 digits. This remarkable precision led to ...

Common mechanisms underpinning neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric diseases

2024-08-12
Recent large-scale epidemiologic studies have increasingly suggested that aberrant brain development and psychiatric disorders may share common mechanisms. The interplay between genetic variants and environmental stress has been shown to significantly impact genome integrity, reshaping brain development. This can result in changes to neural networks, which are linked to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders—areas where many questions remain unresolved. For more information, visit: bit.ly/4ddJSV0 For contributing article to this research topic, visit: bit.ly/4crNG41 Please use the Hot-Topic Code: BMS-CMP-2024-HT-33 ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Optical biosensor rapidly detects monkeypox virus

New drug targets for Alzheimer’s identified from cerebrospinal fluid

Neuro-oncology experts reveal how to use AI to improve brain cancer diagnosis, monitoring, treatment

Argonne to explore novel ways to fight cancer and transform vaccine discovery with over $21 million from ARPA-H

Firefighters exposed to chemicals linked with breast cancer

Addressing the rural mental health crisis via telehealth

Standardized autism screening during pediatric well visits identified more, younger children with high likelihood for autism diagnosis

Researchers shed light on skin tone bias in breast cancer imaging

Study finds humidity diminishes daytime cooling gains in urban green spaces

Tennessee RiverLine secures $500,000 Appalachian Regional Commission Grant for river experience planning and design standards

AI tool ‘sees’ cancer gene signatures in biopsy images

Answer ALS releases world's largest ALS patient-based iPSC and bio data repository

2024 Joseph A. Johnson Award Goes to Johns Hopkins University Assistant Professor Danielle Speller

Slow editing of protein blueprints leads to cell death

Industrial air pollution triggers ice formation in clouds, reducing cloud cover and boosting snowfall

Emerging alternatives to reduce animal testing show promise

Presenting Evo – a model for decoding and designing genetic sequences

Global plastic waste set to double by 2050, but new study offers blueprint for significant reductions

Industrial snow: Factories trigger local snowfall by freezing clouds

Backyard birds learn from their new neighbors when moving house

New study in Science finds that just four global policies could eliminate more than 90% of plastic waste and 30% of linked carbon emissions by 2050

Breakthrough in capturing 'hot' CO2 from industrial exhaust

New discovery enables gene therapy for muscular dystrophies, other disorders

Anti-anxiety and hallucination-like effects of psychedelics mediated by distinct neural circuits

How do microbiomes influence the study of life?

Plant roots change their growth pattern during ‘puberty’

Study outlines key role of national and EU policy to control emissions from German hydrogen economy

Beloved Disney classics convey an idealized image of fatherhood

Sensitive ceramics for soft robotics

Trends in hospitalizations and liver transplants associated with alcohol-induced liver disease

[Press-News.org] Largest study of its kind finds common lab tests aren’t reliable for diagnosing Long COVID
Researchers call attention to treating symptoms even if blood panels return normal