World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

OXIDATIVE DAMAGE AND DECREASED ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH POST-VIRAL CHRONIC FATIGUE AND AFFECTIVE SYMPTOMS IN LONG-COVID

Muntadher A. Al-Hilo, Abdulsahib S. Jubran*

ABSTRACT

Background: After an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, long-lasting symptoms are what define Long-COVID. Chronic fatigue and affective symptoms are among the most common manifestations. Oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defenses have been implicated in various neuropsychiatric and chronic fatigue syndromes, yet their role in Long-COVID remains underexplored. Objective: To investigate the association between oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant defenses, and the severity of chronic fatigue and affective symptoms in Long-COVID patients. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 80 Long-COVID patients and 40 healthy controls. Oxidative damage markers (MDA, AOPP, 8-OHdG) and antioxidant defense indicators (TAC, SOD, GPx) were measured. Fatigue and affective symptoms were assessed using FSS, HDRS, and HARS scales. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26.0, employing correlation, regression, and multivariate analyses. GraphPad Prism v9.0 was used for graphical representation. Results: Patients with long-COVID exhibited markedly higher levels of markers of oxidative stress and lower activities of antioxidant enzymes, as compared to control subjects. Good relationships were found between oxidative biomarkers and severity scores of symptoms. Oxidative stress was found to be one of the important predictors of CFS and mood alterations by regression analysis. Conclusions: Oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant defense are significantly related with chronic fatigue and affective symptoms in the Long-COVID, which indicates that redox imbalance is a critical pathogenic factor and promise therapeutic target.

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