A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine on Tuesday (May 24) is raising serious questions about just how real “long COVID” (PASC) is.
The study found that there was no evidence of long-term COVID-19 infection in patients who were six or more weeks removed from the onset of symptoms, even if those patients reported that they were experiencing “long COVID.”
Further, the study found that individuals who reported having “long COVID” were disproportionately women and individuals with history of anxiety disorders.
“Exploratory studies found no evidence of persistent viral infection, autoimmunity, or abnormal immune activation in participants with PASC,” the authors concluded. “Abnormal findings on physical examination and diagnostic testing were uncommon.”