A study published in the Lancet journal eBioMedicine found that people in the same household tend to experience similar Long-COVID symptoms. Scientists are not quite sure why this is, but suggest a number of possible explanations.*

Long COVID may run in families

It’s estimated that up to 12% of people with COVID-19 experience fatigue, muscle aches, difficulty concentrating, headaches, changes in smell or taste, and other symptoms for three months after their initial infection. For some, this can extend well beyond this time frame. 

Recently, a group of scientists from the University of Freiburg in Breisgau, Germany set out to discover how a person’s Long-COVID symptoms might be influenced by the family context. 

The study included over 1,260 adults, adolescents, and children from 341 different households. At least one person in each house had a mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19 between January and May 2020, approximately one year before the study began. 

Through the use of online questionnaires, the researchers collected data on the severity of various physical and psychological symptoms. The results showed that people in the same household tended to report similar symptoms, regardless of whether they actually tested positive for COVID-19 or were simply exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

What might have caused these results?

Scientists are not sure why Long-COVID would run in families, but two hypotheses have emerged. 

Some researchers believe that genetics could play a role, though the authors of this study point out that a parent’s perception of their own symptoms could have influenced how they reported symptoms in their children. The authors also caution that, since this study is based on individuals infected during the early stages of the pandemic, newer variants may show different results.

Other studies support the idea that infection with a specific variant may play a role in the development of Long-COVID, which could help explain why members of the same household seem to be similarly affected.

The research team hopes that their results open the door to developing family-level interventions that are effective against Long-COVID.

*Hale, T. (2022, October 3). Long-COVID Seems to Run in Family Households, and it’s Unclear Why. IFLScience. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.iflscience.com/long-covid-seems-to-run-in-family-households-and-it-s-unclear-why-65573