Increased fibrinaloid microclot counts in platelet-poor plasma are associated with Long COVID

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DALTON, Caroline, DE OLIVEIRA, Madalena IR, STAFFORD, Prachi, PEAKE, Nicholas, KANE, Binita, HIGHAM, Andrew, SINGH, Dave, JACKSON, Natalie, DAVIES, Helen, PRICE, David, DUNCAN, Rae, TATTERSALL, Nicola, BARNES, Amanda and SMITH, David (2024). Increased fibrinaloid microclot counts in platelet-poor plasma are associated with Long COVID. [Pre-print] (Unpublished) [Pre-print]

Preprints have not been peer-reviewed. They should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health related behaviour and should not be regarded as conclusive or be reported in news media as established information.

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Abstract

Outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection are variable; whilst the majority of patients recover without serious complications, a subset of patients develop prolonged illness termed Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). The pathophysiology underlying Long COVID remains unclear but appears to involve multiple mechanisms including persistent inflammation, coagulopathy, autoimmunity, and organ damage. Studies suggest that microclots, also known as fibrinaloids, play a role in Long COVID. In this context, we developed a method to quantify microclots and investigated the relationship between microclot counts and Long COVID. We show that as a cohort, platelet-poor plasma from Long COVID samples had a higher microclot count compared to control groups but retained a wide distribution of counts. Recent COVID-19 infections were also seen to be associated with microclot counts higher than the control groups and equivalent to the Long COVID cohort, with a subsequent time-dependent reduction of counts. Our findings suggest that microclots could be a potential biomarker of disease and/or a treatment target in some Long COVID patients.

More Information

Official URL:

https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.04.24305318

Open Access URL:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.04...

Open Access Version:

Published version

Identifiers

Identification Number:

10.1101/2024.04.04.24305318

ORCID for Caroline Dalton: