Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Nov 28, 2025 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
Medical News: Lingering Immune Disruption After Infection
A new study conducted by scientists from the San Francisco VA Health Care System and the University of California San Francisco offers important insight into why many people continue to struggle with neurological issues long after a COVID-19 infection. Their findings reveal that a persistent low-grade inflammatory reaction remains active in the body for months or even years after the virus, affecting the brain and accelerating biological aging. Using blood samples from 86 previously infected individuals and 51 healthy pre-pandemic controls, the team identified several key biomarkers that remained abnormally high in those with long-lasting symptoms, especially neurological complaints commonly described as brain fog. These detailed observations form the basis of this
Medical News report and highlight how immune system dysregulation may be driving long-term problems in otherwise healthy people.
New research shows Long Covid triggers lasting inflammation that may speed up brain aging.
Key Biomarkers That Stay Elevated for Years
Researchers found that four important proteins—IL-1β, IL-8, GFAP and hemopexin—remained elevated in both recovered individuals and those suffering from neuro-Long Covid. However, one particular immune marker, soluble CD14, was significantly higher only in those with neurological symptoms. This marker is linked to monocyte activation, microglial changes and cognitive impairment. The study revealed that IL-1β gradually declined over time in people who recovered fully, but it did not decrease in those who continued to experience brain fog, even up to 53 months after infection. This suggests that unresolved immune activation may be sustaining neurological issues.
The researchers also noted that two of the proteins correlated strongly with age, while both recovered and Long Covid groups displayed levels much higher than healthy controls, indicating an acceleration of age-related inflammatory patterns.
Genetic Risk Factors and Immune Patterns
Another striking finding was the high prevalence of the APOE4 gene in individuals with neurological Long Covid. Thirty-five percent of those with lingering symptoms carried the gene, compared to only 11 percent in fully recovered individuals. APOE4 is widely known as a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, and its presence in this group suggests a potential connection between COVID-19, inflammation and accelerated neurodegenerative pathways. Blood analysis also showed that people with neuro-Long Covid displayed stronger positive correlations between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins, revealing a distinct pattern of immune alteration that differed from those who had recovered.
What The Findings Suggest for Long Term Health
These results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection can leave behind a chronic inflammatory footprint that does not fully return to normal, even after symptoms improve. Elevated markers linked to brain injury, immune activation and aging sugg
est that Long Covid may accelerate neurological decline in susceptible individuals. The persistence of IL-1β and CD14, combined with age-related proteins like GFAP and IL-8, provides measurable evidence that the brain and immune system remain stressed long after recovery. This raises concerns that long-term cognitive health could be affected, especially in younger and middle-aged adults who reported brain fog months or years after a mild infection.
Overall, the study suggests that Long Covid involves a complex interaction of genetics, inflammation and immune dysregulation that may influence aging and neurological function for years to come.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Cells.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/23/1875
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
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