Low iron may play key role in long COVID

The following is an excerpt from an article by the University of Minnesota on a study published in Nature Immunology on how the liver regulates iron to the blood stream. Note that “Iron dysregulation is common after all infections” to avoid iron “becoming a trap for lethal bacteria” and “If this goes on for a long time, there is less iron for red blood cells, so oxygen is transported less efficiently, affecting metabolism and energy production”.

“Patients who went on to develop long COVID showed more problems with regulation of blood iron levels, including anemia, as soon as 2 weeks after acute infection, suggesting low iron levels may play a role in the chronic condition, according to a new study in Nature Immunology.
The study was based on blood samples from 214 patients collected via the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease. All participants provided multiple blood samples during and after a COVID-19 infection for 12 months.
The researchers found that long COVID was associated with how quickly inflammation and low iron levels regulated after acute infection. People who took a longer time to demonstrate regulation, and had more severe initial infections, were at an increased risk of long COVID.
Iron dysregulation is common after all infections, the authors explained, as iron is quickly moved out of the bloodstream to avoid becoming a trap for lethal bacteria.
"If this goes on for a long time, there is less iron for red blood cells, so oxygen is transported less efficiently, affecting metabolism and energy production, and for white blood cells, which need iron to work properly," said study author Hal Drakesmith, PhD, from the University of Oxford, in a press release from the University of Cambridge. "The protective mechanism ends up becoming a problem."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/low-iron-may-play-key-role-long-covid