THE RIGHT TESTS FOR LONG COVID
It is estimated that over two million people in the UK are suffering from Long Covid. Office of National Statistics figures show that one in five people with Long Covid had the infection over two years ago. This is a long-term problem that is likely to grow.
What are the symptoms of Long Covid? The key symptoms of people suffering from Long Covid that I see in my office are fatigue, brain fog, aches and pains and loss of enjoyment of life. What is Long Covid? In a nutshell, Covid reactivates old viruses, infections and inflammation in the body by suppressing the immune system. This produces all sorts of collateral damage in the form of poor thyroid, adrenal, digestive and other body issues.
What do you have to do to tackle Long Covid? In short, find out what infections you are suffering from and what you need to do to repair your immune system to get on top of them. Getting the right tests is crucial to get the right information. Missed infections will result in continued suffering.
MISUNDERSTOOD AND MISHEARD
Many people’s suffering has been compounded by the fact that their very real symptoms have been dismissed by the health practitioners. Their standard tests have come back as ‘normal’ therefore there is nothing wrong with them save anxiety and why don’t they just take an antidepressant or go to the gym?
Fortunately, this poor standard of care is undergoing a much needed paradigm shift as new scientific data about Covid, its aftermath and various ‘treatments’ emerges into mainstream medicine. The amount of studies that show that Covid infection can reactivate viruses like Epstein Barr, shingles, Coxsackievirus, Cytomegalovirus and bacterial infections like Strep, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia pneumonaie and others is conclusive. This means people need to get the right lab tests to identify their infections.
I use a specialist infection lab in Augsburg in Germany, Armin labs, for the bulk of my infection tests. One of their most valuable tests is the Elispot (enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot) to test for different viruses and bacterial infections. This is a very specific and clinically relevant test.
Sadly, however, when patients share their private lab results with their NHS doctor, they often report conversations like the one below:
Patient: (enthusiastically) ’Did you get my private lab results that I sent you? They show that I have Epstein Barr Virus and my immune system is suppressed. At last I’ve got some answers as to why I’m feeling so awful.’
Doctor: (hesitantly): ‘I did see that these tests were not done by a UK accredited lab.’
Patient: ‘Oh!’
Doctor: (doubtfully) 'I observed that your test was performed by Elispot.’
Patient: (hopefully) ‘Yes?’
Doctor: (confidently) ‘In a UK NHS laboratory we only test infections using antibodies.’
Patient: (defensively) ‘But the Elispot clearly shows that I have this infection right now.’
Doctor: (firmly) ‘I don’t understand the validity of the Elispot. But you should feel reassured that all your NHS immune results are perfectly normal.’
Patient: (looks anxious) ‘But…’
Doctor: (reaches for prescription pad) ‘In this case, the best thing I can do for you is to prescribe an
antidepressant.’
(Patient leaves surgery feeling hopeless and misunderstood).
ELISPOT INFORMATION
The record should be set straight for Elispot testing so patients don’t get fobbed off by incorrect information. Here are some things about the Elispot test that would be useful to know:
Elispot testing examines how the white T-cell soldiers of the immune system react to a particular pathogen (virus, bacteria, yeast etc. Also known as a ‘lymphocyte transformation test’ because the normally quiet white cells transform into fighting mode when faced with a pathogen.
Elispot is very sensitive and specific to that pathogen. By this method, you can detect an antigen-specific cell in 200,000 cells.
There is a long list of peer-reviewed articles and studies on Elispot technology. One of the key ones is Lehman PV et al., Unique Strengths of ELISPOT for T Cell Diagnostics. In Kalyuzhny A. E. Handbook of ELISPOT: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology. Recently updated.
Elispot is the preferred test for detecting Lyme. Seronegativity (absence of antibodies after previous infection) is an issue with Borrelia, the cause of Lyme disease. This means that antibody tests do not always show whether bacteria or viruses are active in the patient, even if the infection was picked up some time ago and not been overcome by the immune system. Again, there is a long list of studies over the last few decades highlighting this issue.
The UK has adopted CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) criteria which uses antibodies to detect infection. For this reason, it can miss cases of Lyme, which is particularly clever at disguising itself from antibodies. This has been proven by microbiologists in many studies.
Elispot is a well recognised and used test round the world. There are many laboratories on the continent that use the same tests as Admin labs in Germany.
The German health system is rigorous and has very strict authorisation procedures. It would not allow these labs to operate without full licensing to cover all their tests.
Labs in the U.S. and England now use Elispot tests. Oxford Immunotec is now using T-cells to test for Sars-Cov-2 and has the backing of Public Health England.
In addition to Elispot tests for various infections, Armin Labs also offers an important immune screen, looking at the white blood cell soldiers of the immune system that defend us against viruses and bacteria. Soldiers ‘missing in action’ is a common finding in people suffering from chronic fatigue conditions.
Therefore, if you suffer from brain fog, fatigue or other chronic symptoms and would like to find out why, please contact the Good Health Clinic on goodhealthclinic@outlook.com to request a free 30 minute Enquiry Call or book an appointment. Please note that an Enquiry Call is not a consultation but an exploratory call to see if this a clinical approach you wish to pursue.