Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 17, 2026 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
More than six years after SARS-CoV-2 first emerged, scientists are warning that COVID-19 can leave behind complicated health problems affecting far more than the lungs. A major collection of research on long COVID highlights persistent inflammation, neurological symptoms, fatigue, metabolic changes and possible effects on other chronic diseases.
New research reveals how long COVID may drive lasting inflammation, brain fog, fatigue and health problems
across multiple organs
The editorial examining 13 research contributions was authored by researchers from the Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Greenwich and Kent, Chatham, United Kingdom; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Brain Fog May Be Driven by Persistent Inflammation
One of the strongest themes emerging from the research is that long COVID appears closely connected to prolonged immune and inflammatory disturbances.
Researchers found increased levels of inflammatory and neurological signaling molecules, including IL-6, IL-10 and Substance P, in people experiencing neuropsychological long COVID symptoms. Computational work also identified the Neurokinin-1 receptor as a possible treatment target, with aprepitant and N-acetyl-L-tryptophan highlighted as candidates requiring further investigation.
Laboratory experiments provided another important clue. When human neuron-astrocyte cultures were repeatedly exposed to the inflammatory molecules TNF-alpha and IL-6, neuronal network activity changed significantly even without direct viral infection. This suggests inflammation itself could interfere with brain-cell communication and potentially help explain persistent “brain fog.”
Viral Components Could Keep the Immune System Activated
Researchers also examined whether lingering SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could contribute to neurological long COVID. Evidence reviewed included disruption of the blood-brain barrier, blood-vessel damage, vascular problems and abnormal activation of brain-supporting cells.
Importantly, this Thailand
Medical News report notes that persistent symptoms do not necessarily mean widespread permanent brain-cell destruction. Another investigation measuring neurofilament light chain and GFAP found minimal evidence of continuing neuroaxonal injury after researchers adjusted for age and kidney function. A modest GFAP increase, however, suggested subtle involvement of astroglial cells.
This distinction could be crucial: ongoing inflammation and altered brain function may occur without extensive progressive neuronal damage.
Even Mild COVID Can Produce Long-Term Problems
Long-term neurological problems were not restricted to people who initially became severely ill. Individuals recovering from mild-to-moderate COVID reported poor concentration, memory problems, weakness and reduced physical performance, including people who ha
d never been hospitalized.
Longitudinal observations from Peru found that fatigue, weakness, memory impairment, irritability, insomnia and musculoskeletal symptoms could remain for as long as one year.
Other research showed that respiratory problems and fatigue could persist two years after hospitalization and interfere substantially with everyday activities. Increased abdominal subcutaneous fat was also associated with a greater likelihood of persistent symptoms among non-hospitalized patients, suggesting metabolic health and body composition may influence recovery.
Long COVID Could Have Wider Health Consequences
Scientists are also investigating whether COVID-19 could accelerate biological processes associated with brain aging through persistent inflammation and immune-system aging. Another review raised concerns that post-COVID immune disturbances, including exhausted T cells and altered inflammatory responses, might influence cancer biology and treatment responses in non-small cell lung cancer. These possibilities remain areas requiring further research.
Conclusions
The evidence portrays long COVID as a highly variable, multisystem condition rather than one single disease process. Persistent inflammation, disturbed immune signaling and interactions between neurological, psychological, metabolic and physiological factors may produce very different symptoms between patients. Future care will likely require better biomarkers, personalized treatment, rehabilitation and coordinated neurological and mental-health support. Artificial intelligence may eventually help identify different long COVID subtypes and predict which patients face the greatest risks.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fncel.2026.1926660/full
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus 
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