COVID-19 Vagus Nerve Inflammation May Lead to Dysautonomia: New Study

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For those experiencing persistent symptoms long after their bout with COVID-19 has ended—including fatigue, lightheadedness, brain fog, cognitive issues, gastrointestinal problems, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, or an inability to tolerate upright postures—new data may provide answers.

SARS-CoV-2 infection may damage the nerves of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), causing an inflammatory response that can later lead to dysautonomia observed in long COVID patients, a July 15 study published in Acta Neuropathologica suggests.

Study Findings

Using several methods, researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany performed a microscopic analysis of the vagus nerves in 27 deceased patients with COVID-19 and five others who died of other causes, without COVID-19.