@adytum_official: A central question in long COVID has been whether autoantibodies (immune proteins that target the body’s own tissues) actually cause symptoms or are just bystanders. New research provides some of the strongest causal evidence yet, in a subset of patients. A Yale and Mount Sinai team (Iwasaki, Putrino, and colleagues) purified antibodies from long COVID patients and transferred them into healthy mice, which then developed symptoms including pain and sensory changes. Mice receiving antibodies from patients with new-onset chronic pain most reliably developed pain behaviors. This was press-released in May 2026. A peer-reviewed study using the same passive-transfer approach was published in Cell Reports Medicine in March 2026, identifying 134 elevated autoantibodies in long COVID and demonstrating persistent mechanical hypersensitivity in mice. This mirrors the approach that established an autoimmune basis for fibromyalgia (Goebel et al., 2021). This applies to a subset of long COVID, not all cases. The causal evidence is in animal models; the human data is associational. These findings support testing antibody-targeted therapies (such as IVIG or plasma exchange) in research settings but do not establish an approved treatment. Talk to a specialist about your own care. I’m not a doctor, just sharing research I find interesting. Sources: Santos Guedes de Sá, Iwasaki, Putrino et al. (2026). Yale/Mount Sinai (press release, May 2026). Transfer of IgG from long COVID patients induces symptomology in mice (2026). Cell Reports Medicine. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.00110-2 #longcovid #chronicillness #autoimmunedisease #chronicpain #medicalgaslighting

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Tuesday 02 June 2026 15:22:20 GMT