A new study has revealed that patients suffering from long COVID syndrome continue to exhibit higher incidents of blood clotting. This, in turn, explains their persistent symptoms such as reduced physical fitness and fatigue.

The symptoms of long COVID can last weeks to months after the initial infection has resolved. Its symptoms include breathlessness, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance.

The researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ireland examined 50 patients with symptoms of long COVID syndrome to understand if abnormal blood clotting is involved.

The study found that clotting markers were higher in the blood of long COVID patients compared with healthy controls. These patients required hospitalisations.

The researchers also found that patients who managed their infection at home had persistent high clotting markers.

It was observed that higher clotting was directly related to other symptoms of long COVID syndrome. Even though inflammation markers returned to normal levels, clotting markers stayed high.

“Because clotting markers were elevated while inflammation markers had returned to normal, our results suggest that the clotting system may be involved in the root cause of long COVID syndrome,” said Helen Fogarty, the study’s lead author, and PhD student at RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.

“Millions of people are already dealing with the symptoms of long COVID syndrome, and more people will develop long COVID as the infections among the unvaccinated continue to occur,” Professor James O’Donnell, Director of the Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, RCSI, said.

“It is imperative that we continue to study this condition and develop effective treatments,” he added.

While cases of long COVID are coming rapidly to the fore, this condition is yet to be understood properly. However, another study suggests that over 30% of infected adults may experience long COVID.

As per a New York Times report, this vast majority of data about long COVID is only about the unvaccinated population. The risk of a vaccinated person developing long COVID has not been studied yet.