Thailand Medical

泰国医疗

: For years, doctors have known that many people continue to suffer from brain fog, memory problems, headaches, fatigue, and other neurological issues long after recovering from COVID-19. Now, a

多年来，医生们已经知道，许多人在从新冠中康复后，仍长期遭受脑雾、记忆问题、头痛、疲劳和其他神经系统问题的困扰。现在，一项

Thailand Medical

泰国医疗

study has revealed that those who experienced severe or critical COVID-19 show significantly higher levels of blood markers linked to brain inflammation and nerve cell damage, raising fresh concerns about the long-term impact of the virus on the brain.

一项研究揭示，那些经历过严重或危重COVID-19的患者显示出与脑部炎症和神经细胞损伤相关的血液标志物水平显著升高，这引发了对病毒对大脑长期影响的新担忧。

New research shows severe COVID-19 is linked to higher blood markers of inflammation and brain injury that may

新研究表明，重症新冠肺炎与炎症和脑损伤的血液标志物升高有关，这可能

help predict long-term neurological complications

帮助预测长期神经系统并发症

The research was conducted by scientists from the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases and Health Science Centre at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, and the Thai Red Cross Society, all based in Bangkok, Thailand..

该研究由来自泰国曼谷的朱拉隆功国王纪念医院泰国红十字会新发传染病与健康科学中心、朱拉隆功大学医学院、朱拉隆功大学理学院以及泰国红十字会的研究人员共同开展。

Blood Tests Reveal Hidden Brain Injury

血液检测揭示隐匿性脑损伤

The researchers examined 325 adults who had previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Among them, 265 participants continued to experience persistent neurological symptoms at least 12 weeks after infection, while 60 recovered without developing long COVID symptoms.

研究人员对325名曾感染SARS-CoV-2的成年人进行了检查。其中，265名参与者在感染后至少12周内持续出现神经系统症状，而60人则康复且未出现长期新冠症状。

The team analyzed blood samples for inflammatory proteins and several biomarkers associated with brain injury, including neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181), and beta-amyloid proteins.

该团队分析了血液样本中的炎症蛋白和几种与脑损伤相关的生物标志物，包括神经丝轻链（NfL）、胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）、磷酸化tau181（p-tau181）以及β-淀粉样蛋白。

Their findings showed a striking pattern. Individuals who had suffered severe or critical COVID-19 consistently displayed much higher levels of inflammatory molecules such as IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-8. At the same time, they also had sharply elevated levels of NfL, GFAP, and p-tau181, all of which are widely recognized indicators of damage to nerve cells and supporting brain cells.

他们的研究结果揭示出一个显著的模式。曾罹患重度或危重型COVID-19的个体 consistently 表现出IL-6、IL-1β、TNF-α和IL-8等炎症分子水平显著升高。同时，他们的NfL、GFAP和p-tau181水平也急剧上升，这些指标均被广泛认为是神经细胞和支持性脑细胞损伤的标志物。

They also had lower beta-amyloid 42/40 ratios, a pattern often associated with neurodegenerative processes..

他们的β-淀粉样蛋白42/40比值也较低，这种模式通常与神经退行性过程相关。

Neurological Symptoms Became More Severe

神经症状加重

The study found that neurological problems became increasingly common as the severity of the original COVID-19 infection increased.

研究发现，随着原始新冠病毒感染严重程度的增加，神经系统问题变得愈发常见。

Patients who had experienced critical illness reported the highest rates of memory problems, dizziness, loss of smell, loss of taste, sleep disturbances, blurred vision, headaches, and concentration difficulties. While headaches and trouble concentrating appeared across all groups, symptoms involving memory, smell, and taste became much more frequent among those with severe disease..

曾患危重疾病的患者报告的记忆问题、头晕、嗅觉丧失、味觉丧失、睡眠障碍、视力模糊、头痛和注意力困难的发生率最高。虽然头痛和注意力不集中出现在所有组别中，但涉及记忆、嗅觉和味觉的症状在重症患者中更为常见。

Researchers also observed that older patients were far more likely to develop severe COVID-19 and persistent neurological complications, suggesting that age remains an important risk factor for long-term brain-related consequences.

研究人员还观察到，老年患者发展为重症新冠肺炎并出现持续性神经系统并发症的可能性要高得多，这表明年龄仍然是长期脑部相关后果的重要风险因素。

Inflammation and Brain Damage Appeared to Work Together

炎症与脑损伤似乎协同作用

One of the study's mo

该研究的一个

st important discoveries was the strong relationship between inflammation and markers of brain injury.

最重要的发现之一是炎症与脑损伤标志物之间的强相关性。

This Medical News report highlights that patients with severe and critical disease showed powerful positive correlations between inflammatory cytokines and neurological biomarkers. As inflammatory proteins such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α increased, blood levels of NfL, GFAP, and p-tau181 also rose significantly.

这篇医学新闻报道强调，重症和危重症患者的炎症细胞因子与神经生物标志物之间表现出强烈的正相关关系。随着IL-6、IL-1β和TNF-α等炎症蛋白水平的升高，血液中NfL、GFAP和p-tau181的水平也显著上升。

These relationships were weak or almost absent in patients who had experienced only mild or moderate COVID-19..

在仅经历过轻度或中度COVID-19的患者中，这些关系较弱或几乎不存在。

The researchers believe this suggests that excessive immune activation may contribute directly to damage involving neurons and astrocytes, two critical cell types responsible for maintaining healthy brain function. Persistent inflammation may therefore continue affecting the nervous system long after the virus itself has been cleared..

研究人员认为，这表明过度的免疫激活可能直接导致神经元和星形胶质细胞的损伤，而这两种细胞类型对维持健康的大脑功能至关重要。因此，即使在病毒本身被清除后，持续的炎症仍可能在很长一段时间内继续影响神经系统。

Biomarkers Could Help Identify High-Risk Patients

生物标志物或有助于识别高危患者

The investigators also performed advanced statistical analyses combining multiple biomarkers into a single risk profile.

研究人员还进行了高级统计分析，将多种生物标志物整合为一个单一的风险谱。

Rather than relying on one blood marker alone, the combined biomarker model almost perfectly distinguished patients with severe neurological involvement from those with milder disease. The researchers believe that future blood tests measuring combinations of NfL, GFAP, p-tau181, beta-amyloid proteins, and inflammatory cytokines could eventually become valuable tools for identifying long COVID patients who require closer neurological monitoring and earlier medical intervention..

与其单独依赖某一种血液标志物，联合生物标志物模型几乎能够完美地区分患有严重神经系统受累的患者与病情较轻的患者。研究人员认为，未来通过检测神经丝轻链蛋白（NfL）、胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）、磷酸化tau蛋白181（p-tau181）、β-淀粉样蛋白以及炎症细胞因子的组合，有望成为识别需要更密切神经系统监测和更早医疗干预的长新冠患者的宝贵工具。

Importantly, additional analyses showed that these biomarker patterns remained consistent even after accounting for differences in age, indicating that the findings were not simply explained by aging alone.

重要的是，进一步的分析表明，即使在考虑了年龄差异后，这些生物标志物模式仍然保持一致，这表明研究结果并非仅仅由衰老所解释。

Conclusion

结论

The findings provide compelling evidence that severe COVID-19 is associated with a much greater degree of persistent inflammation and measurable brain injury than mild disease. Blood biomarkers reflecting nerve cell damage, astrocyte activation, and abnormal protein changes closely tracked the intensity of inflammation, suggesting that ongoing immune activity may continue affecting the brain long after acute infection has resolved.

研究结果提供了有力证据，表明与轻症相比，重症新冠肺炎与更严重的持续性炎症和可测量的脑损伤相关。反映神经细胞损伤、星形胶质细胞活化以及异常蛋白质变化的血液生物标志物与炎症强度密切相关，这表明在急性感染消退后，持续的免疫活动可能在很长时间内继续影响大脑。

Although additional long-term studies are still needed, these biomarkers could eventually help physicians identify patients at highest risk for lasting neurological complications and guide earlier treatment strategies before permanent damage develops..

尽管仍需开展更多的长期研究，但这些生物标志物最终可能帮助医生识别出最有可能出现持续性神经系统并发症的高危患者，并在发生不可逆损伤之前指导早期治疗策略。

The study findings were published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology.

该研究结果发表在同行评审的《国际免疫病理学与药理学杂志》上。

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03946320261465568

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03946320261465568

For the latest COVID-19 news, keep on logging to

如需获取最新的新冠疫情新闻，请持续访问

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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus

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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid

https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid