An extensive study led by the University of Helsinki identified Long Covid’s hereditary risk factor

« Than You would look at the rest of the world through a cloudy membrane. ”

This is how you photographed her Long Covid disease, a prolonged corona disease from Helsinki Ina Westman.

« The worst was the brain fog. It didn’t really understand what a friend tried to say, » he said In the Helsingin Sanomat last fall.

Westman became ill in March 2020, when the Sars-Cov-2 virus began to spread from Chinese Wuhan city to the world, including Finland.

At that time, nothing was known about the prolonged interest rate disease. Like many other Long Covid patients, Westman felt that his symptoms were underestimated and that he was considered a delusional and hypocrisy.

Since then, understanding has grown.

Now The international Long Covid gene research conducted under the leadership of the University of Helsinki has found hereditary factors that predispose to long -lasting symptoms after corona fluid. It is precisely the paralyzing fatigue, the prolonged cough and the brain fog, which Westman also told.

Researchers from the universities of Helsinki and Harvard, the Carolinic Institute, the Estonian Biobank and several international research projects participated in the study.

« The aim was to map the biological mechanisms related to Long Covid, » says that who led international cooperation Vilma Lammi.

Group leader Hanna Ollila The University of Helsinki tells us that combining genetic research and cell models can increase understanding why some people do not normally return from infection.

The study covered 30 different research data from 20 countries. There were 6,500 Long Covid patients and over one million controls.

Researchers found a genetic or hereditary risk factor, the Foxp4 gene, which increases the risk of developing prolonged heel disease by about 60 %.

The results of the study have been published Nature Genetics in the magazine.

Should It is possible to find out if the hereditary risk factor of the hereditary risk factor of the prolonged coronation itself?

« It would be convenient if you could buy a test at the pharmacy to tell you if you have the risk of having a long colid, » Ollila says.

However, it won’t work – at least not yet.

According to Ollila, genetic analyzes indicate prolonged corona disease biological mechanisms, not the risk of an individual.

« When the risk of the Foxp4 gene founded in this work has increased by 60 percent, it is about the risk of one gene brand, not the risk of an individual, » Ollila explains.

In the future, however, genetic research may also find new and more accurate risk factors.

Ollila points out that post -infections symptoms are also associated with other diseases.

« Infections can cause tissue damage, for example, in the liver or lungs, infections can become chronic. They can affect the functioning of the body’s defense cells, or remain in the body and restart, » he says.

Fatigue According to Ollila, symptoms such as symptoms may have many different background mechanisms that gene research helps to identify.

According to Ollila, fatigue is an inaccurate description of the symptom of prolonged coronation, where fatigue can be completely paralyzing.

In the case of prolonged coronation, the risk factors now found affect at least lung function. In addition, prolonged heels have symptoms of the same similar and possibly risk factors as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, or chronic pain syndrome.

New information on prolonged interest rate disease can help to develop precision drugs for the disease.

Research can also help to diagnose the disease better when the disease image and its typical symptoms are more accurate.

Estimates The number of people with prolonged coronos in Finland vary.

Doctors of the Hus Prolonged Symptoms Rehabilitation Clinic are evaluatedthat Long Covid has about one percent of the population.

THL By the end of August 2022, 21,000 people had been diagnosed with prolonged corona disease in Finland.

Ollila points out that there are many uncertainties in the information.

« We do not know how comprehensive patients have been able to seek treatment or how well they have been identified. »

He points out that the experience of the disease has only been five years.

When Ina Westman was interviewed last fall in Helsingin Sanomat, and his symptoms had lasted four and a half years.

However, the symptoms are expected to gradually disappear. According to several estimates, the number of Long Covid patients has fallen significantly since 2022.

Why Then Long Covid is still being studied?

According to Lammi, there is a need for research for many reasons.

« Koronavirus SARS-COV-2 has not disappeared from the world and can develop both acute and prolonged symptoms, » he says.

Lammi also recalls that there are several other diseases where the virus causes a short -term disease to a large number of people, but for some people it may later appear as a long -term disease. Such is, for example, chicken pox, which after years may break out as shingles.

« The study can find more of these diseases, increase their understanding of them, and eventually help patients develop diagnostics and treatments. »