A recent Mayo Clinic analysis showed that anemia was the strongest clinical indicator of long- COVID symptoms. The analysis was conducted by Mayo partner nference, a health technology company and clinical data analytics platform that uses AI software to synthesize biomedical information and perform computations to solve urgent healthcare issues.

Findings from the analysis incorporated lab results from patients who had been re-hospitalized with long-COVID symptoms, along with clinical notes and electronic health records. They found that patients with anemia were more likely to experience long-term symptoms, even after the virus had been cleared from their immune systems. 

What Is Anemia?

Anemia, which affects more than two billion people worldwide, is a condition in which your bone marrow doesn’t produce enough healthy red blood cells to carry sufficient oxygen-rich hemoglobin to organs and tissues throughout your body. Also referred to as low hemoglobin, anemia can make you feel tired and weak. Other symptoms include dizziness, headaches, irregular heartbeat, and cold hands and feet. There are several forms of anemia, each with a separate cause, though anemia often has a combination of causes.

Why Is This Research Significant?

Nearly 30% of COVID-19 patients go on to experience long-term complications from their infections. The most common long-term symptoms are fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, and depression, though there is mounting evidence of long-term complications involving heart, lung, and vascular damage. 

Results of the new study, published in iScience, suggest that anemia-related lab tests would be a worthwhile addition when assessing risk stratification in COVID-19 patients. “The more we learn about the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on those who still continue to suffer from symptoms weeks and months later,” said Venky Soundarajan, co-founder and chief scientific officer of nference, “the more we can respond to the new health challenges this pandemic presents.”

*Romero, T. (2021, July 12). Anemia May Increase the Risk of Long COVID, Research Shows. Philly Voice.   https://www.phillyvoice.com/long-covid-19-symptoms-anemia-mayo-clinic-nference-study/

Much about the novel coronavirus, i.e., COVID-19, is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but there may occasionally be some lag between scientific developments and our revisions.