COVID-19 disrupts the gut biome, affecting the severity of the disease

Your gut bacteria could be altered by COVID-19, which could affect your degree of illness and potentially its duration, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that patients with COVID-19 had a “significantly altered” gut biome compared to people without the disease. They found that the disturbance was evident for at least 30 days after the patients healed.

According to the New York Post, researchers have found a correlation between severe disease and elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines in the blood plasma of sick patients and “substantial involvement” of the gastrointestinal tract during infection.

“Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease, there is growing evidence to suggest that the gastrointestinal tract is involved in this disease,” the authors wrote in Gut, a British Medical Journal publication, adding that the gut microbiota affects the immune response to the disease and may play a role in its severity, according to the Post.

They said the imbalance of gut bacteria they observed even after the disease itself resolved could be a contributing factor to what’s called the “long COVID-19,” symptoms that persist for months. .

Up to a third of COVID-19 victims develop persistent symptoms, according to the New York Times. These can range from chest pain and fatigue to heart irregularities. Some victims cannot return to work and may require long-term medical care.