A new research paper details how two patients with long COVID in California, one who was a healthcare worker almost completely alleviated their symptoms by taking daily antihistamines
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Scientists have stumbled upon the finding that antihistamines could be a potential treatment for long COVID-19.
The finding came when two women in California, who were reportedly living with ‘long COVID’ or ‘post-COVID syndrome,’ took antihistamines every day and found their symptoms significantly reduced.
What are antihistamines, what’s long COVID-19 and what could this development mean; we take a look at the issue.
Antihistamines explained
Antihistamines are a class of drugs commonly used to treat symptoms of allergies. These drugs help treat conditions caused by too much histamine, a chemical created by your body’s immune system.
Antihistamines are most commonly used by people who have allergic reactions to pollen and other allergens.
They are also used to treat a variety of other conditions such as stomach problems, colds, anxiety and more.
In most cases, the drug is an over-the-counter medication that blocks some of what histamine does.
Antihistamines are further divided into two major subtypes. The first subtype is called H-1 receptor antagonists or H-1 blockers. This subtype of antihistamines is used to treat allergy symptoms.
The second subtype is called H-2 receptor antagonists or H-2 blockers. They are used to treat gastrointestinal conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease {GERD}, also called acid reflux, peptic ulcers, gastritis, motion sickness, nausea and vomiting.
What’s Long COVID?
Long COVID is also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection {PASC}. According to experts, the condition can encompass more than 200 reported symptoms and even effect multiple organ failure.
The most common symptoms of long COVID appear to be fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, and joint pains — with fatigue being the most widely reported among patients.
Last October, a study, published in JAMA Network Open, found more than half the people who have survived coronavirus are experiencing symptoms of long COVID lasting for at least six months from their initial diagnosis of the infection.
People experiencing prolonged symptoms are also more likely to experience PTSD and anxiety — besides struggling with neurological disorders, the study had noted.
Long COVID, according to experts, is also an ’emerging health crisis’. According to data, as of August 2021, 54 million people suffer from a condition that can be debilitating and for which there is no cure as of now.
What did new study reveal?
The new findings that point that antihistamines could be a solution for long COVID were published in Journal for Nurse Practitioners.
The case paper detailed the journey of the Californian women corresponding with past research around the benefits of using antihistamines to treat long COVID.
In the case of the first Californian woman, who is a healthcare worker and was infected in January 2020, fatigue and brain fog persisted well into June that year, which is when she triggered her dairy allergy by accidentally consuming cheese — forcing her to take antihistamines.
The next morning, she “experienced improved cognition and far less fatigue.” She didn’t take the medicine again for the next 72 hours, but when her symptoms reappeared, she decided to give it another shot; it worked again.
The second woman, a middle-aged teacher, had been living with long COVID for over a year when she ran out of her usual allergy medication that helped her manage her seasonal allergies. When she couldn’t find it in the stores, she switched to a different one — to wake up to exponentially milder symptoms the next morning.
The study shows that antihistamines could potentially change the game and be an answer for those suffering from long COVID, which as of now has no cure.
The report’s corresponding author, Melissa Pinto, UCI Associate Professor of Nursing, was quoted as saying, “The possibility that an easy-to-access, over-the-counter medication could ease some of the symptoms should offer hope to the estimated 54 million people worldwide who have been in distress for months or even years.”
With inputs from agencies
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