A “first-of-its-kind” study from Northwestern Medicine and published in the Journal of Imaging is giving experts an idea how long COVID affects the body by looking through the eyes.
According to a media release from Chicago’s Northwestern Medicine, the research could help doctors diagnose and track how the condition impacts people over time and provide insight into the cause of long COVID.
In the study, researchers used advanced imaging techniques to examine the retinas of non-hospitalised long COVID patients from the Northwestern Medicine Neuro COVID-19 Clinic and found that patients with long COVID experienced a significant reduction in the density of blood vessels in the back of the eye, compared to healthy individuals.
“This finding bridges gaps between ophthalmology, neurology, and COVID-19, helping us better understand how inflammation affects different organs in the body,” said Dr Manjot K. Gill, MD, senior author of the study and ophthalmology lead of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center.
“The change in blood vessels in the deep part of the retina supports the hypothesis that long COVID affects similar blood vessels in other parts of the body, like the brain, which can potentially contribute to the symptoms of long COVID such as memory loss, brain fog and fatigue.”
In patients with long COVID, researchers found that the most significant change was a decrease in blood flow in the smallest blood vessels in the deeper layers of the retina, the release said.
Researchers believe this decrease in circulation may be reflective of decreased blood circulation in the brain, which may lead to neurologic symptoms.
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