What do we know about Long-COVID, Mast Cells, and Autoimmune Diseases?
It's been four years since the beginning of the pandemic and the medical community continues to struggle with the complexities of the lingering effects of COVID-19, also known as Long-COVID. Last year in June, we discussed the connection between long-COVID and autoimmune disease, in that not only are people experiencing common autoimmune symptoms post-COVID but are also more likely to develop an autoimmune condition a few months after infection.
Long-COVID has also been connected to the increased symptoms associated with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Mast cells are a type of blood cell that informs immune cells on how to respond to different triggers. When mast cells are compromised, they can harm the body by releasing an overabundance of chemicals, causing symptoms like rashes, low blood pressure, fatigue, chronic pain, and more.
Some people believe that long-COVID has triggered their MCAS, with patients like George Cooper and Elle Gorman sharing their stories on their MCAS diagnosis after contracting COVID. Cynthia Adinig, a long-COVID advocate, also blogs about how long-COVID affected her, from taking multiple medications per day to experiencing symptoms of MCAS. Some also suspect that their symptoms may have stemmed from or developed into autoimmune diseases.
The connection between Long Covid, MCAS, and autoimmune diseases remains nebulous, though there is evidence that mast cells may play a significant role in autoimmune diseases. Much more research is still needed to understand the connections between these conditions.
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