tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Front Immunol
. 2025 Aug 6:16:1634663.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1634663. eCollection 2025. Antiphospholipid antibodies during acute COVID-19 are not associated with long COVID: findings from a retrospective cohort study
Robin Arcani[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Alexandre Brodovitch[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Xavier Heim[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Jean-Louis Mège[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Nathalie Bardin[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Introduction: Long COVID is a public health issue with complex pathophysiology, potentially involving immunoinflammatory and prothrombotic mechanisms. Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been observed in acute COVID-19 and speculated to contribute to long COVID development. Our goal was to determine if the presence of aPL was associated with the progression towards long COVID.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all adult patients screened for aPL during acute COVID-19 in our institution between April 2020 and April 2022. Only patients with at least one follow-up ≥3 months post-infection were included.
Results: Among 114 patients (median age 64.0 years, 44.7% female), 19 (16.7%) developed long COVID. Those with long COVID were younger and more frequently admitted to ICU than those who recovered. However, aPL positivity did not differ significantly between patients with and without long COVID (63.2% vs. 66.3%, p = 0.79).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest no association between aPL and the development of long COVID. Prior associations may reflect confounding factors such as ICU admission.
Keywords: antiphospholipid antibodies; autoimmunity; long covid; pathophysiology; thrombosis.
. 2025 Aug 6:16:1634663.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1634663. eCollection 2025. Antiphospholipid antibodies during acute COVID-19 are not associated with long COVID: findings from a retrospective cohort study
Robin Arcani[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Alexandre Brodovitch[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Xavier Heim[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Jean-Louis Mège[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Nathalie Bardin[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 40843001
- PMCID: PMC12364694
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1634663
Introduction: Long COVID is a public health issue with complex pathophysiology, potentially involving immunoinflammatory and prothrombotic mechanisms. Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been observed in acute COVID-19 and speculated to contribute to long COVID development. Our goal was to determine if the presence of aPL was associated with the progression towards long COVID.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all adult patients screened for aPL during acute COVID-19 in our institution between April 2020 and April 2022. Only patients with at least one follow-up ≥3 months post-infection were included.
Results: Among 114 patients (median age 64.0 years, 44.7% female), 19 (16.7%) developed long COVID. Those with long COVID were younger and more frequently admitted to ICU than those who recovered. However, aPL positivity did not differ significantly between patients with and without long COVID (63.2% vs. 66.3%, p = 0.79).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest no association between aPL and the development of long COVID. Prior associations may reflect confounding factors such as ICU admission.
Keywords: antiphospholipid antibodies; autoimmunity; long covid; pathophysiology; thrombosis.