RECOVER Research Update: August 2024

RECOVER makes regular updates to the Publications page, where you can search for publications or quickly find publications of interest by selecting one or more filters. You can filter RECOVER publications using the following categories:

• Study type (for example, observational or pathobiology)
• The people taking part in the study (for example, children or adults)
• Study results, or what the researchers learned (for example, the range of symptoms experienced by people with Long COVID)

Click on the publication links below to learn about the latest discoveries made by RECOVER researchers.

Neuroinflammation in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as assessed by [11C]PBR28 PET correlates with vascular disease measures (Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, July 2024)

• Researchers examined detailed images of the brain and blood samples to identify the biological mechanisms—processes that take place inside the body and its cells—that may cause Long COVID. 
• The findings from this study suggest that inflammation (swelling) of tissues within the brain, combined with damage to the veins and arteries, may contribute to the development of multiple Long COVID symptoms. 

Identification of risk factors of Long COVID and predictive modeling in the RECOVER EHR cohorts (Communications Medicine; July 2024)

• Researchers leading this study used an advanced computer program called a machine learning algorithm to analyze more than 2 million electronic health records (EHRs). 
• The algorithm identified several factors, including pre-existing health conditions like cancer, that may explain why some people are more likely to develop Long COVID.

Association between acquiring SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection: RECOVER electronic health record cohort analysis (eClinicalMedicine, July 2024)

• In a study using almost 90,000 EHRs, researchers found that pregnant people were less likely to develop Long COVID than non-pregnant people. 
• These findings further our understanding of Long COVID after a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and can inform and direct future research.

Epidemiologic features of recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection (JAMA Network Open, June 2024)

• More than 1 in 5 adults who took part in this observational study were still experiencing symptoms 3 months after having COVID. 
• Women, people with heart disease, people who did not receive a COVID vaccine, and people whose COVID was caused by the Omicron variant were more likely to experience these long-term symptoms.

Excess burden of respiratory and abdominal conditions following COVID-19 infections during the ancestral and Delta variant periods in the United States: An EHR-based cohort study from the RECOVER Program (PLOS ONE, June 2024)

• Researchers examined more than half a million EHRs to determine whether the different strains of the COVID virus are related to different types of Long COVID.
• Researchers found that people whose COVID was caused by the original (ancestral) virus often experienced different Long COVID symptoms than people whose COVID was caused by the Delta variant that appeared in 2021.
• Researchers ask doctors to be aware that Long COVID may present differently in the future as new COVID variants emerge.

Characteristics and determinants of pulmonary Long COVID (JCI Insight, April 2024)

• Many people with Long COVID have a persistent (long-lasting) cough and often feel short of breath, but researchers are still trying to understand why. 
• Findings from this pathobiology study support the use of regular breathing tests and detailed lung X-rays to diagnose possible causes for these symptoms.