Link found between persistent COVID and menopause

BarcelonaResearchers from the GCAT|Genomes for Life group, led by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and in collaboration with the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), have identified a protein in the vascular system linked to the onset of COVID-19. The study, published this Monday in the journal BMC Medicine, reveals that the VEGFA molecule is significantly overexpressed in people who have developed long-term COVID and finds differences in risk between sexes and hormonal statuses. According to the research, women have more copies of this protein, especially once they have entered menopause.

The VEGFA protein, related to blood vessel formation and vascular function, may play a key role, according to the researchers. Using a database created in 2020 with 171 participants, the team studied nearly 1,400 proteins linked to inflammation and cardiovascular health and compared levels between people with long-term COVID and those without, and between premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

In addition to the effect of hormonal status on proteins such as VEGFA, which the group of scientists believes may be a determining factor in persistent COVID, the team found changes in bodily processes related to inflammation, the way cells communicate with each other (through chemokines), viral reactivation, and even...

In a statement, the researchers emphasize that these discoveries could help create new treatments, for example, to protect and stabilize blood vessels. "Our results suggest that vascular dysfunction is a key mechanism in persistent COVID and that sex and hormonal status may influence its evolution," summarizes Xavier Farré, a researcher at GCAT-IGTP and first author of the study.

Long COVID affects millions of people worldwide and is characterized by symptoms that can persist for months or years after the initial infection, such as fatigue and neurological, muscular, and respiratory problems. Although women typically experience milder COVID, they are more likely to develop persistent symptoms.

The study, which was supported by the La Marató de 3Cat Foundation, represents an important step in understanding the mechanisms of the disease and highlights the importance of incorporating sex-stratified approaches into the clinical management of long COVID, the study authors argue. According to them, these findings open the door to new therapeutic strategies, including treatments aimed at stabilizing vascular function. However, for now, the researchers admit that these results will need to be validated in larger, ethnically diverse populations, as well as studying the long-term evolution of the biochemical changes in the proteins they observed.