Low iron levels resulting from infection could be key trigger of long COVID

Medical Xpress / University of Cambridge / Nature Immunology ^ | March 4, 2024 | Aimee L. Hanson et al

[ConservativeMind]

Problems with iron levels in the blood and the body's ability to regulate this important nutrient as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a key trigger for long COVID, research has discovered.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from 214 individuals. Approximately 45% of those questioned about their recovery reported symptoms of long COVID between three and ten months later.

The team discovered that ongoing inflammation—a natural part of the immune response to infection—and low iron levels in blood, contributing to anemia and disrupting healthy red blood cell production, could be seen as early as two weeks post COVID-19 in those individuals reporting long COVID many months later.

Professor Hal Drakesmith said iron dysregulation is a common consequence of inflammation and is a natural response to infection.

"However, if this goes on for a long time, there is less iron for red blood cells, so oxygen is transported less efficiently affecting metabolism and energy production, and for white blood cells, which need iron to work properly. The protective mechanism ends up becoming a problem."

The findings may help explain why symptoms such as fatigue and exercise intolerance are common in long COVID, as well as in several other post-viral syndromes with lasting symptoms.

One approach might be controlling the extreme inflammation as early as possible, before it impacts on iron regulation. Another approach might involve iron supplementation; however, as Dr. Hanson pointed out, this may not be straightforward.

"It isn't necessarily the case that individuals don't have enough iron in their body, it's just that it's trapped in the wrong place," she said. "What we need is a way to remobilize the iron and pull it back into the bloodstream, where it becomes more useful to the red blood cells."

[ConservativeMind]

May I ask what you were addressing with such large quantities of ibuprofen every day? That’s a massive amount, and ibuprofen on its own can cause ulcers.

[ConservativeMind]

Do note that fat is required to pump gall out, so eating low fat means your gall never turns over, which means it eventually hardens.

[Reeses]

Your body lets you know when you ate something it needs more of by making you feel especially great afterward. A popular street-food in Thailand, originally sold from canal boats, is Thai boat noodle soup. If that makes you feel great afterward, the secret ingredient is: animal blood. A guess is the blood has highly available iron.

[Myrddin]

Rheumatoid arthritis. The latent Valley Fever in my lungs takes immunosuppresant options off the table. I am using acetaminophen as needed to avoid blood thinning after having 7 polyps snipped. I only use it at bedtime to allow sleep. I can just gut out the pain during awake hours.

[Myrddin]

30% calories from fat is part of my normal diet. Good quality fat, never trans fat.

[Myrddin]

When I read my MRI report, it stated that my biliary duct was 17mm in diameter from the liver to the ampulla where it dumps to the duodenum. I did have a reference for the significance of that number. Last night, I looked up what the "normal" range should be. Normal is 4.0mm to 4.1mm. An outlier maximum in the study was 7.9m. My duct at 17mm is extremely dilated. It certainly sounds like I have a blockage at the outlet to the duodenum. The surgical consult to remove the gallbladder is still a week out.

[ConservativeMind]

There are multiple ways to treat them, leaving the gall bladder.

Oral dissolution therapy. Drugs made from bile acid are used to dissolve the stones.

Methyl-tert-butyl ether. A solution injected into the gallbladder to dissolve stones.

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). A procedure that uses shock waves to break stones up into tiny pieces that can pass through the bile ducts without causing blockages.

Contact dissolution therapy. An experimental procedure that involves injecting a drug directly into the gallbladder to dissolve the stones.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/gallstones

[ConservativeMind]

Are you confirmed to have “latent Valley Fever?” Antibodies may be perfectly fine.

I know some approaches to combat rheumatoid arthritis that shouldn't negatively affect immunity do exist.

Also, I found this:

“Dr. Sudano will present on his research findings titled “Management of Asymptomatic Coccidioidomycosis in Patients with Rheumatic Disease”. The study suggests that it may be safe to continue treatment in patients with asymptomatic cocci (Valley Fever).

https://arthritis.arizona.edu/news/dr-dominick-sudano-present-2014-american-college-rheumatology-annual-meeting

[Myrddin]

When I was accepted into the microbiology department at San Diego State University as a grad student, the department head insisted that everyone get a TB and Coccidiomycosis test. The department head lost a lung to Valley Fever. I did the skin tests. The TB faded as usual, but the coccidiomycosis made a red patch that nearly wrapped around my arm. I was sent for a chest X-ray where the radiographic pattern matched a coccidiomycosis infection that is walled off. TB and Valley Fever present differently. One appears like perfectly punched out circles. The other as amorphous blobs.

Coccidiomycosis

Tuberculosis

[ConservativeMind]

Well, it appears you might be fine with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), so that could help you a bit.

[Myrddin]

I'll run that by my doctor when we meet to arrange the CT scan of my lungs. The juxtapleural pulmonary node is the reason for the CT. Since they are doing the entire lung area, a check to ensure the coccidiomycosis remains controlled can be part of the evaluation. The liver/gallbladder issue is the most annoying problem at present. I'm hoping the lung node is a non-issue.

[ConservativeMind]

You also have more than a few supplements that can help with your arthritis, beyond just Vitamin D:

https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/features/rheumatoid-arthritis-best-worst-supplements-herbs

[Myrddin]

All of those are in my current inventory. Turmeric on hold due to blood thinning and iron scavenging. I had 7 polyps snipped. Need to wait for the sites to heal. No desire for another emergency colonoscopy to stop hemorrhaging as happened in 2013.