Long Covid Newsletter
Issue #5October 6, 20257 studies

Long COVID affects 13.5% of COVID-surviving hamsters, but new treatments show promise

Long COVID affects 13.5% of COVID-surviving hamsters, but new treatments show promise

Monday, Monday, October 6th Long Covid Newsletter Issue #5

This week's research reveals the stark reality of long COVID's grip on millions—from college students struggling with brain fog to children losing their athletic abilities. But there's hope: scientists are finally cracking the code on what's driving these symptoms and testing targeted treatments.

🧬 Scientists discover neutrophils are driving long COVID symptoms—and find a way to stop them

Researchers used hamsters to crack the mystery of why 13.5% of COVID survivors develop long-term symptoms. Here's what they found:

  • 13.75% of COVID-surviving hamsters developed persistent lung damage, weight loss, and massive neutrophil (immune cell) buildup—mimicking human long COVID

  • These hamsters still had viral protein fragments in their lungs 30 days after infection, triggering chronic inflammation

  • When scientists treated the hamsters with Sivelestat (a drug that blocks neutrophil damage), it dramatically reduced long COVID symptoms and deaths

Why this matters: This is the first study to identify the specific immune cells causing long COVID damage and successfully treat them. The drug used (Sivelestat) is already approved for human use in some countries, potentially fast-tracking treatment options.

🥈 Top 2% journal 🔗 Experimental and Molecular Medicine 🗓️ Sep 23

Key Findings

🎯 New 5-question test accurately measures brain fog severity

Researchers created the Brief Brain Fog Scale (BBFS) and tested it on 844 people—686 with post-COVID brain fog and 158 healthy controls. The 5-question tool showed excellent reliability and could distinguish between different severity levels of cognitive symptoms.

💡 Finally, a simple way for doctors to measure and track brain fog recovery
🎖️ Top 10% journal 🔗 Journal of Psychosomatic Research 🗓️ Sep 23

💪 Severe COVID survivors still exhausted a full year later

Brazilian scientists followed 70 people for a year after COVID infection. Those who had severe COVID showed persistent fatigue, weaker muscles, and impaired electrical nerve function even 12 months later. Their muscle tissue showed increased "echogenicity"—essentially scar tissue that doesn't work properly.

💡 Severe COVID creates lasting physical damage that doesn't just resolve with time
Top 30% journal 🔗 PLoS ONE 🗓️ Sep 24

🏃‍♀️ Kids with long COVID lose serious athletic ability

A study of 115 children with long COVID compared to 227 healthy kids found dramatic physical declines: lower exercise capacity, weaker grip strength, and reduced breathing muscle power. Only 37.63% could return to their previous sports, and 43.48% couldn't attend school full-time.

💡 Long COVID in kids isn't just fatigue—it's measurable physical impairment affecting their daily lives
Top 30% journal 🔗 Children 🗓️ Sep 27

🧠 Cognitive rehab shows promise for long COVID brain fog

Researchers tested a 12-week cognitive rehabilitation program on long COVID patients with objective brain impairment. While objective test scores didn't dramatically improve, patients reported significant improvements in their daily cognitive functioning compared to controls.

💡 Brain training might help long COVID patients feel sharper, even if test scores don't fully reflect the improvement
Top 30% journal 🔗 Neuropsychological Rehabilitation 🗓️ Sep 24

🏥 Long COVID patients need extensive medical care

Analysis of 984 patients at three specialized long COVID clinics revealed the complexity of care needed: patients averaged 3 visits each, 64.3% needed specialist referrals (especially lung, heart, and brain doctors), and 37.9% required rehabilitation therapy over a median of 107 days.

💡 Long COVID isn't a simple condition—it requires coordinated, multi-specialty medical care
Top 20% journal 🔗 BMC Infectious Diseases 🗓️ Sep 27

💊 8-week exercise programs safely improve long COVID symptoms

A systematic review of 20 studies found that 8-week programs combining aerobic exercise, strength training, and breathing exercises safely improved quality of life and physical function in long COVID patients. Telerehabilitation worked just as well as in-person programs.

💡 Structured exercise may be safe and effective for long COVID recovery (depending on the severity of the long COVID)—and you can do it from home
Top 20% journal 🔗 Sports 🗓️ Sep 26

Implications

The research paints a clear picture: long COVID is a serious, measurable condition affecting multiple body systems, but we're finally developing tools to diagnose, track, and treat it. From immune-targeting drugs to structured exercise programs, the path forward is becoming clearer for the millions still struggling with post-COVID symptoms.

Studies in this issue

Primary sources used for this newsletter.

  1. Ongoing immune response and neutrophil changes after COVID-19 with possible treatment ideas
    main storyExperimental & molecular medicine2025-09-23PMID 40987794
  2. Development and testing of a short scale to measure post-COVID thinking problems
    key findingJournal of psychosomatic research2025-09-23PMID 40987251
  3. Understanding Patient Needs at US Post-COVID Care Clinics
    key findingBMC infectious diseases2025-09-27PMID 41013344
  4. How Long-Term COVID-19 Symptoms Affect Children's Physical Abilities and Daily Activities
    key findingChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2025-09-27PMID 41007081
  5. Exercise Treatments for Long COVID Symptoms: A Review of Controlled Studies
    key findingSports (Basel, Switzerland)2025-09-26PMID 41003635
  6. Early testing of a thinking skills training for memory and concentration problems after COVID-19
    key findingNeuropsychological rehabilitation2025-09-24PMID 40991647
  7. Fatigue and muscle nerve function in long COVID over one year
    key findingPloS one2025-09-24PMID 40991619

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