The COVID-19 pandemic is the most significant medical and public health challenge the US has encountered in the last 100 years. As of July 26, 2022, an estimated 90 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the US, with an estimated 1 million COVID-19–related deaths. The current number of SARS-CoV-2 infections is difficult to estimate accurately, considering that many individuals with positive self-test results do not seek care or report their infection. At the same time, new coronavirus variants continue to emerge, with Omicron subvariants such as BA.5 and BA.4 now identified as the dominant circulating strains.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2795139
Post covid syndrome shares many of the same symptoms as mast cell activation and fibromyalgia.
Hyper-inflammation caused by COVID-19 may be mediated by mast cell activation (MCA) which has also been hypothesized to cause Long-COVID (LC) symptoms. We determined prevalence/severity of MCA symptoms in LC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8459548/
Diagnostic testing is limited at this point so physicians have to rely heavily on patient symptoms. Keeping a symptoms journal should include pre -covid and post -covid symptoms.
Treatments vary from patient to patient .H1and H2 antihistamines,Mast Cell stabilizers cromolyn
and ketotifen. Supplements quercetin,luteolin and vitamin c are just a few compounds used to treat MCA
Over-the-counter antihistamines, typically taken for allergies, may help relieve the debilitating symptoms of long COVID in some people, a new case report suggests.
The report, published Feb. 7 in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, included two middle-age women with long COVID, a condition also known by the medical term "post-acute sequelae of COVID-19" (PASC). After catching COVID-19 in 2020, the women developed a slew of symptoms that lingered for many months after their initial infections had cleared; these long-lasting symptoms included cognitive impairment, skin rashes and bruising, chest pain and profound fatigue.
At some point, many months after first developing these symptoms, both individuals took antihistamines for unrelated allergies. They found that, unexpectedly, their long COVID symptoms improved after they took the drugs. Both individuals now take a daily regimen of antihistamines and have said they've nearly regained their pre-PASC level of functioning, according to the case report.
OLE OF ANTIHISTAMINES
Several studies have shown that a number of Covid‐19 patients improved significantly when on antihistamines due to their antiviral and anti‐inflammatory properties. Moreover, antihistamines have shown to be effective in the management of long term symptoms post‐Covid‐19
Histamines pathways have been shown to mediate a number of clinical presentations including cytokine storm, runny nose, blood clotting issues, bronchoconstriction, lung‐hypersecretion and so forth, all of which have been presented with Covid‐19 patient. Its great role in modulating the immune response, viral viability, and influencing a number of systemic pathologies makes it an important target for the management of diseases like Covid‐19 which seems to trigger its pathway and bring a number of clinical complications.
From acute covid to chronic often debilitating post covid.More than 200 symptoms are associated with long-term COVID-19, and the condition can cause problems throughout the body, affecting nearly all body systems including the nervous, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, autonomic, and immune systems. Some of the symptoms are consistent with mast cell activation and fibromyalgia. The question does COVID-19 cause MCAS and FM or does a known or unknown pre-existing MCAS, FM, or some other chronic conditions make a person more susceptible to COVID-19? With no set treatment or testing practitioners depend on symptoms past and present for treatment. U.S. estimates 26% of Americans have some degree Of long covid.
