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Research Desk

Cardiovascular, Renal, and Pulmonary Risks of Long COVID: A Retrospective Cohort Study Stratified by Age and Sex
Akash Pradeep, Sanjana Dayal, et al., University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine; Journal of the American Heart Association
August 19, 2026

A University of Iowa analysis of TriNetX health records found Long COVID raises the risk of heart, kidney, and lung problems, with the sharpest relative increases in younger adults.

Multiomic and Spatial Profiling of Colorectal Tissue Reveals Viral Persistence and Immune Dysregulation in Long COVID
Brian LaFranchi et al., University of California, San Francisco (bioRxiv preprint)
August 6, 2026

A UCSF preprint examining gut tissue from 44 people with long COVID found lingering viral material and an immune response stuck in inflammation without clearance.

Virus reactivation in acute and long COVID-19
IMPACC Network, published in Nature
August 4, 2026

A Nature study of 1,154 hospitalized COVID-19 patients found that severe infection reawakens dormant viruses already in the body, and that one viral family tracked with long COVID and lasting disability.

Loss of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 in striatum of long COVID and relationship to neuropsychiatric symptoms
Yuhan Karida Liu, Jeffrey H. Meyer, et al., Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH); eBioMedicine
July 9, 2026

PET brain scans from CAMH found reduced dopamine nerve terminal markers in people with Long COVID, tied to low motivation, slowed movement, and memory problems.

An analysis argues Long COVID research was slowed by forcing it into a biomedical framework built for acute infections, enabling its 2025 federal defunding.

RECOVER Research Update: December 2025
NIH RECOVER Initiative
December 3, 2025

A roundup of five recent RECOVER studies, including limited Paxlovid effectiveness at preventing Long COVID and how obesity may shape symptom presentation.

A RECOVER-EHR cohort study found reinfected children and teens were roughly twice as likely to be diagnosed with Long COVID as those infected once.

Autoantibodies in Long COVID: A Systematic Review
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
September 8, 2025

A systematic review of 44 studies found autoantibodies, including those targeting G-protein-coupled receptors, may be a biomarker for Long COVID.

Long COVID in Young Children, School-Aged Children, and Teens
Rachel S. Gross, Melissa S. Stockwell, et al. (RECOVER-Pediatrics), JAMA Pediatrics
May 27, 2025

The first large multisite study found about 1 in 7 infected infants, toddlers, and preschoolers met criteria for probable Long COVID.

Ultrasensitive protein profiling across Swedish and UK cohorts links breathlessness to specific inflammatory biomarkers, pointing to distinct biological subtypes.

NPR surveys progress in Long COVID science five years into the pandemic, citing new findings on clotting, exercise crashes, and viral persistence.

Long COVID Science, Research and Policy
Ziyad Al-Aly, Hannah Davis, Lisa McCorkell, Letícia Soares, Stephanie Wulf-Hanson, Akiko Iwasaki, Eric J. Topol, Nature Medicine
August 1, 2024

A comprehensive review describing Long COVID as a multisystem disorder affecting nearly every organ system, estimated to affect 400 million people globally.

Long COVID: A Clinical Update
Trisha Greenhalgh, Manoj Sivan, Alice Perlowski, Janko Ž Nikolich, The Lancet
July 31, 2024

A clinical review covering the epidemiology, pathophysiology, lived experience, and management of Long COVID for clinicians.

Notes from the Field: Long COVID Prevalence Among Adults — United States, 2022
Nicole D. Ford, Abraham Agedew, Alexandra F. Dalton, Jordan Singleton, Cria G. Perrine, Sharon Saydah, CDC (MMWR)
February 15, 2024

CDC surveillance data found 6.9% of U.S. adults reported ever experiencing Long COVID in 2022, varying by state, age, and demographics.

WHO's formal clinical case definition of post-COVID-19 condition in children and adolescents, developed via expert Delphi consensus.