A protracted disorder that can last months or years affects a growing percentage of the workforce. Symptoms that contribute to long-term COVID-19 may be the result of pandemic measures and in particular cover-up. Increased exposure to microplastics, nanoparticles, chemicals in masks and nasopharyngeal exams parallel many of the symptoms that define Long COVID. Surveys of thousands of people show that 7 percent to 30 percent of people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 developed one or more symptoms for more than 12 weeks. Some people who contracted COVID-19 early in the pandemic have not yet recovered. Long COVID syndrome is complex as symptoms can fluctuate and people go through different stages. Symptoms have been prolonged by ICU patients and people with organ damage, but have also occurred in people with only mild infection. A list of sixty-two different symptoms defines Long COVID syndrome. Fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and loss of smell and taste are among the most common symptoms. Most scientists and doctors – including the media – associate long-term COVID symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 infection. This would be the first coronavirus in history to cause long-term chronic symptoms in a high percentage of the workforce. People with Long COVID may experience social isolation and stigma due to their inability to perform. The rise of Long COVID has created millions of new disabled people. The root cause of the disease is still a mystery. In several case studies and in an excellent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which investigated several diagnostic parameters in people with and without Long COVID, no single biological change could explain the association with Long COVID. Some scientists associate the symptoms of long-term COVID with other complex diseases of multidisciplinary origin, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or hyperventilation syndrome. Many countries have started special clinics and funded research specifically to study the long-term effects. No successful one-size-fits-all treatment has yet been found. Thousands or perhaps over a hundred million are frustrated by the lack of available treatment. Doctors and scientists prefer a holistic approach, but medical and social services are often understaffed. Desperate patients with lingering COVID symptoms are traveling abroad to private clinics to have blood drawn and prescribed anticoagulants, although the treatments are still experimental and evidence of effectiveness is still lacking. For some patients these treatments were successful, for others not. Vaccination against COVID-19 has been a hot topic in policy speeches and media ads as an incentive to prevent long-term COVID. However, a large study of 13 million people published in Nature Medicine could only show a small effect. A study published in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics showed that physical symptoms recovered much faster compared to mental symptoms, suggesting that long-term COVID could be related to pandemic measures rather than viral infection. Risks for long-term COVID symptoms have been shown to be increased for people with existing chronic diseases, increasing age and lower income, as women are more vulnerable than men. Fear, social isolation, depression, and concerns about education and reduced income are thought to be associated with Long COVID symptoms in children with and without a positive PCR test. As the pandemic emergency continues, an alarming rise in chronic diseases, suicides and excess mortality are being seen globally. This suggests the deprivation of a resilient immune system with increased susceptibility to prolonged symptoms of Long COVID.
Symptoms of long association of COVID with MIES
At this point, limited attention has been paid to a possible relationship of Long COVID and exposure to chemicals in masks, nasopharyngeal exams, and disinfectants. A possible risk for mask-induced exhaustion syndrome (MIES) was found in a meta-analysis by a multidisciplinary group of German physicians. The most commonly observed symptoms (fatigue, headaches, dizziness, lack of concentration) as described for MIES overlap with important symptoms for Long COVID syndrome. The lack of smell and taste during COVID-19 appears to be different compared to the symptoms during the flu. Loss of taste and smell is often seen after chemotherapy in cancer treatments and has been linked to malnutrition, inflammation and depression. Also, brain fog is a symptom that occurs after chemotherapy. It seems likely that the harmful effects of long-term mask use and frequent nasopharyngeal testing with increased exposure to chemicals (not found in natural products) can accelerate symptoms and contribute to long-term COVID. Until now, the safety of long-term and frequent mask use and nasal swab sampling in a sensitive area of the nose, often by people with little experience, has been poorly investigated. Severe nosebleeds (epistasis), leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, vomiting, dizziness and fainting have been reported. The most commonly used masks and nasopharyngeal tests come from China with less stringent controls and measures for the presence of hazardous materials. In many countries government-supplied masks and nasopharyngeal tests were withdrawn from the market. Microplastics, nanoparticles (graphene oxide, titanium dioxide, silver, ethylene oxide, dyes, fluorocarbons (PFAS) and heavy metals have been found in masks and nasopharyngeal tests. Unfortunately, not all masks and tests used during of the pandemic. A report from the Netherlands Institute of Public Health (RIVM) released in November 2021 stated that “the safety of masks cannot be guaranteed”. The short-term and long-term impact of frequent exposure on the physiology and physical and mental functioning of the human body is unknown. Harmful effects on children, who are less able to detoxify, could lead to reduced immune and nervous systems resulting in repeated and infrequent infections with more chronic diseases during aging and less healthy future generations. Microplastics and nanoparticles withdraw proteins, vitamins and minerals forming bio-coronas (microthrombi), accumulate in important organs (blood, liver, intestine, lung tissue) and disrupt important physiological and immunological processes The liver, lungs, and gut are important organs in energy metabolism, detoxification, and surveillance by the innate immune system. Disruption of a sensitive gut-liver-brain axis can be associated with fatigue and exhaustion.
Looking for more answers to a long-running COVID mystery
Belgium’s Public Health Institute, Sciensano, found titanium dioxide in 24 types of masks. A recent publication in Gut showed that exposure to titanium dioxide could worsen ulcerative colitis by weakening the innate immune system. In addition, titanium dioxide can enter the brain directly and cause oxidative stress in glial cells (or mast cells), cells with an important role in the proper functioning of the innate immune system and the nervous system. Maternal exposure to titanium dioxide during pregnancy can lead to impaired memory in the infant. Long-term exposure and high concentrations could even cause DNA damage. Unfortunately, titanium dioxide masks are still available on the market. Mental health problems, anxiety and depression, have been linked to a change in the microbiome. Researchers from Stanford University observed in patients with intestinal inflammation (Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis) an association with missing gut microbes compared to healthy individuals. A significantly increased risk of new-onset psychiatric illness is concentrated in the early post-acute phase of a COVID-19 infection. A group of Japanese scientists discovered the presence of pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) on the inside and outside of various masks. When the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi is stopped, the body is exposed to a higher concentration of (myco)toxins which often leads to a feeling of fatigue and malaise. Overgrowth of facultative anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that need less oxygen) for example methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been associated with acne and mouth sores. Staphylococcus aureus can cause pneumonia, sepsis and blood poisoning. Many of the exotoxins and secreted enzymes secreted by these bacteria suppress the T cell repertoire of the immune system. The secreted products can also induce phagocyte accumulation, reducing phagocytosis resulting in a weakened innate and adaptive immune system. A long-term, albeit small, change in O2/CO2 gases in inhaled air can affect an adverse change in the microbiome in the skin, mouth, nose, lungs and gut. Both oxygen and carbon dioxide are the main gaseous substrate and product respectively of oxidative metabolism in every cell. Fluctuations in levels of these gases outside the normal range can lead to pathological conditions such as respiratory and cardiac problems, permanent injury, immunosuppression, increased aging, and altered expression of genes for fertility and death. Carbon dioxide poisoning is recognized as an often overlooked cause of poisoning in the emergency department. Several studies have found an increased level of carbon dioxide when wearing masks. This phenomenon was more pronounced during sports. A South African scientist’s laboratory found significant formation of microthrombus in patients with long-term COVID and patients with acute COVID. Acute COVID-19 is not only a pulmonary disease, but affects the vascular and coagulation systems. Unfortunately, inflammatory molecules are missed in routine blood tests as they become trapped in fibrinolytic-resistant microthrombi. The presence of…
