(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A new study suggests some people suffering from long COVID never had a positive test.
The study from Northwestern Medicine looked at 29 people suffering from long COVID, who checked into the hospital's neuro COVID-19 clinic between the summer of 2020 and April of 2022 and tested negative for COVID- 19.
The study found that 41 percent of COVID long haulers, who initially tested negative for COVID had antibody and t-cell responses indicating they were exposed to the virus.
“Millions of people in the United States have been rejected by the medical establishment and stigmatized, because they didn’t carry a definite diagnosis of COVID-19 when they presented with their long COVID symptoms," said Igor Koralnik, MD, chief of neuroinfectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine.
"We hope those people feel vindicated by our study.”
These findings should lead to changes in the treatment of long COVID, according to the study's authors, who said post-COVID clinics shouldn't require proof of a positive COVID test before caring for someone suffering from long COVID.
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