According to a study published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, long-term COVID patients with persistent neurological symptoms are more likely to suffer immune system dysregulation. In the study, the patients were also found to have issues with their autonomic nervous system, which governs unconscious activities of the body such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

In the study, the researchers from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) analyzed and observed 12 patients with persistent neurological symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers found that these patients had several differences in their immune cell profiles and autonomic dysfunction in comparison to people with no COVID.

An approach called deep phenotyping was employed by the researchers to thoroughly study the clinical and biochemical aspects of long COVID in 12 people who had long-lasting, debilitating neurological problems following mild COVID-19 infection.

Participants were subjected to extensive testing at the NIH Clinical Centre, which included a clinical assessment, questionnaires, sophisticated brain imaging, blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests, and autonomic function tests.

When compared to healthy controls, individuals with long COVID had reduced counts of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, which are immunological cells important in coordinating the immune systems response to infections. Researchers also discovered a rise in the number of B cells and other immune cells, indicating that immunological dysregulation plays a crucial role in Long Covid.

Similarly, they also observed that participants with long COVID had problems with their autonomic nervous system, which was consistent with the results of several recent studies. Autonomic testing showed abnormalities in the ability to control vascular tone, heart rate, and blood pressure with a change in posture. 

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/researchers-identify-features-of-long-covid-neurological-symptoms-505672 )