After over two and a half years of COVID research, scientists are seeing the first data points that prove a dramatic change in human organs after a COVID infection.
"You can start thinking about getting COVID as almost as an accelerant to aging. The viral infection accelerates the aging process in people," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at Washington University in St. Louis and the chief of research and education service at Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.
All pointing to multiple human organs aging faster after COVID. The majority happening among people who were hospitalized but also some with mild COVID symptoms. We took these findings to Dr. Michael Peluso, infectious disease specialist at UCSF. His team was one of the first in the country to begin long COVID research in April of 2020.
"Some of the theories for what may causing long COVID symptoms include persistence of the virus, so instead of the virus coming and going - it sticks around, inflammation, auto-immune problems. Changes in the microbiome. The good bacteria that are in our bodies," said Peluso.
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