Medical Xpress August 13, 2024
A new study found that most routine laboratory tests are not reliable for diagnosing long COVID, also known as Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).
The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, found no reliable biomarker among 25 routine clinical laboratory values for prior infection, PASC or specific types of PASC clusters. This suggests none of these routine labs can serve as a clinically useful biomarker of PASC.
“Our study shows patients can have severe Long COVID with normal lab results. This suggests doctors should not focus on the results of blood panels to diagnose Long COVID but should focus more on symptoms and ways to help patients get relief by treating their symptoms,” said the study’s first author,...