Clinical Significance of Monitoring IgG and IgM Antibodies and the D-dimer in the Diagnosis and Therapy of Long Covid: Experiences from Practice
Background: Antibodies are key elements in the fight against diseases, including Covid-19. The pandemic is still ongoing, and Long Covid is a challenge due to the unclear chronic course of the disease. Objective: To analyze the antibody profile and coagulation status in patients who recovered from Covid-19 and developed symptoms of Long Covid, with a focus on D-dimer as an indicator of thromboembolic complications. Methods: The subjects are patients of the family medicine clinic who had an acute form of Covid-19 and after 3 months developed symptoms of Long Covid. The level of IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 was regularly monitored during the acute form of the pandemic, and then also when symptoms of the chronic course appeared. The control group consists of patients who have recovered from the acute form of the disease without symptoms of Long Covid. Antibody analysis will provide insight into the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value of antibody titer determination. Results: The occurrence of elevated levels of IGM and D-dimer were significantly increased in patients with various symptoms of Long Covid. Monitoring of IgG and IgM antibodies can be of key importance in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of Long Covid, and D-dimer for the diagnosis of vascular disorders and the detection of patients at risk for thromboembolic complications. In the practice of family medicine, but also in many specialist protocols, the importance of assessing the immune response when symptoms of Long Covid appear is neglected. Conclusion: Given the complex clinical picture of Long Covid, most doctors, regardless of specialty, must acquire knowledge and skills for diagnosis and treatment of Long Covid symptoms. It is necessary to create guides that can be supplemented with new discoveries, especially in the field of human immune defense against new virus variants and new forms of Long Covid.