Simple Blood Test May Determine Risk For Long COVID Among Older Women, Study Suggests

HealthDay (1/29, Thompson) reports, “A simple blood test might determine which patients are at risk for long COVID, a new study says.” Researchers found that “higher levels of leukocytes – a form of white blood cell – are associated with more severe symptoms of long COVID among older women.” The investigators said, “Our findings suggest that leukocyte count, a well-standardized, stable, widely available, and inexpensive clinical marker of inflammation, is an independent predictor of future (long COVID) severity in postmenopausal women.” The findings were published in Menopause.