Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 12, 2025 5 hours, 25 minutes ago
Medical News: Women’s Hormones and Blood Vessel Damage Tied to Long COVID
A major study by researchers from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), ISGlobal, the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Spain has revealed that a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) may be the key driver behind persistent long COVID symptoms, especially among women. The study found that hormonal changes—particularly those linked to menopause—could make women more vulnerable to the lingering effects of COVID-19. This
Medical News report highlights how blood vessel damage and sex-specific immune responses may help explain why women often face longer recoveries than men.
VEGFA Signals Reveal Why Women Suffer More from Long COVID
Understanding Long COVID and Its Impact
Long COVID is a term used to describe symptoms that persist for months or even years after a person has recovered from an initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. Common complaints include fatigue, muscle pain, brain fog, shortness of breath, and depression. The condition affects multiple organs and continues to baffle doctors worldwide. Previous studies have shown that while men often suffer more severe acute infections, women are more likely to develop long-term complications—a mystery that this new research helps to unravel.
How the Study Was Conducted
The study analyzed blood samples from 171 adults infected with COVID-19 as part of the COVICAT cohort in Catalonia, Spain. Among them, 133 had ongoing long COVID symptoms. Using advanced proteomic tools that examined over 1,300 proteins in the blood, the scientists identified VEGFA as being consistently elevated in people with long COVID. This protein, which promotes the formation of new blood vessels, was especially high in postmenopausal women.
The Role of VEGFA in Long COVID
VEGFA is known for controlling how blood vessels grow and how easily substances pass through their walls. When overproduced, it can cause inflammation and damage to blood vessel linings, leading to what researchers call “vascular dysfunction.” The Spanish team discovered that VEGFA was the most “central” protein in a large network of altered molecules found in long COVID patients. It connected with more than 100 other proteins involved in inflammation, immune signaling, and tissue repair, suggesting that it may be a master regulator of the persistent symptoms.
In postmenopausal women, where estrogen levels are lower, VEGFA production tends to rise uncontrollably. The study found that these women had significantly higher VEGFA levels than younger women or men, indicating that hormonal balance could play a crucial role in determining how the body recovers after infection.
Other Molecular Clues
Besides VEGFA, the researchers identified other changes related to immune overactivation, complement system imbalance, and viral reactivation—issue
s that have been seen in other studies on long COVID. They also observed disruptions in muscle-related proteins, explaining why many sufferers experience weakness and fatigue.
Conclusions and Future Directions
The scientists concluded that long COVID is not just an immune disorder but also a vascular and hormonal one. The discovery of VEGFA’s overexpression provides fresh insight into why women, particularly those past menopause, are more likely to experience lingering symptoms. It also opens up the possibility of new treatments that focus on repairing blood vessels or regulating VEGFA activity.
As the researchers noted, anti-VEGF therapies—currently used in cancer and eye diseases—might one day help patients with persistent post-COVID symptoms. The findings also emphasize the importance of sex-specific approaches when diagnosing and treating long COVID. Future studies are needed to confirm these mechanisms and explore how hormone replacement or vascular therapies could aid recovery.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medicine.
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-025-04402-6
For the latest COVID-19 News, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
Share
Tweet
Share
