Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes • Hacker News Board

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#151

Post by ETH_start » Thu, Oct 19, 2023, 1:28 AM UTC

zero_shift wrote: post #22

ETH_start wrote: post #2

For the vast majority of cases, a long COVID diagnosis is extremely short on rigor. The best evidence available suggests most cases of "long COVID" are misattribution: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...

Is it that we over-diagnose long COVID? Or that we under-diagnose post viral fatigue more generally? I remember a close family member having a nasty viral infection aged 32/33 - not exactly old and frail - and they left it a very different person in terms of energy and general health. It really did take a year or so to clear up.

The evidence seems to suggest that people often get sick without a clear cause, and due to widespread fear about COVID, the sickness is often being misattributed to long COVID when that happens.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#152

Post by ETH_start » Thu, Oct 19, 2023, 1:34 AM UTC

minsight wrote: post #4

ETH_start wrote: post #2

For the vast majority of cases, a long COVID diagnosis is extremely short on rigor. The best evidence available suggests most cases of "long COVID" are misattribution: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...

Not necessarily the best or the latest evidence... See: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-022-00846-2

The 10% claim of that review is based on this study:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

This study does not control for psychosocial factors, like the impact of anxiety and social isolation emanating from a positive COVID diagnosis.

So this is another example of the lack of rigor seen in claims about long COVID.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#153

Post by ETH_start » Thu, Oct 19, 2023, 7:34 AM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #26

ETH_start wrote: post #2

For the vast majority of cases, a long COVID diagnosis is extremely short on rigor. The best evidence available suggests most cases of "long COVID" are misattribution: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...

A study from 2021 using data from early that year is going to be woefully out of date by now.

The strains in 2020 were by far the most dangerous, both due to the inherent virulence of the strains and the much lower levels of pre-existing immunity in those who were infected compared to more recent times.

COVID seems to have become a conflict line between the left and the right, where the left wants it to be seen as more dangerous to justify the government shutdowns of businesses and restrictions on freedom of movement and association, and the right wants to expose those government controls as unjustified and disproportionate.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#154

Post by ddmf » Thu, Oct 19, 2023, 9:35 AM UTC

EA-3167 wrote: post #111

ddmf wrote: post #85

The main "long covid" symptom I really detest is the loss of smell/taste - after almost 2 years I still cannot smell or taste certain things, the worst being cinnamon in things like cinnamon grahams and cinnamon buns, strangely though I can taste the cinnamon fire jolly ranchers ok. I sound like I'm jesting, but I love food, and I'm a big fan of scent too - things just don't smell or taste right anymore. SSRIs can ca…

I saw this article on Nature and thought of you: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03244-7

Oh, fantastic, thanks - looks like there may be a trial for ensitrelvir here in the UK.

Re: Low serotonin levels might explain some Long Covid symptoms, study proposes

#155

Post by ETH_start » Thu, Oct 26, 2023, 11:41 AM UTC

hotdogscout wrote: post #36

xkbarkar wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sigh, That's not a study that's an article reviewing other cherry picked articles. It doesn't really mean all that much tbh. You would have to review what this review is reviewing. Long covid is still not properly defined and is more of a blanket term of feeling like shit after virus infection List includes https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/long-term-effects-of-... * extreme tiredness (fatigue) * feeling short o…

I've got 3 friends with brain fog symptoms after 3 years of a COVID infection. I myself take 6 months to have my brain work like before after contact with someone with COVID. Wym "maybe long covid is a thing"? Didn't the deaths show the response to COVID is extremely varied already? I'm happy you didn't have it but I bet you know someone that does. I agree Nature is admittedly dodgy to the left if the issue is politi…

Correlation doesn't equate to causation. Sub-optimal health is pervasive. Misattributing it to long COVID—as the evidence suggests is what's happening—is entirely plausible.