Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41566332›Full record

Observational studyRespiratory research2026

Long-term impacts of COVID-19 on systemic inflammation and control of breathing reflexes: an observational cohort study.

Veronica L Penuelas, Kathy Pham, Shyleen Frost, Indira S Harahap-Carrillo, Abel Vargas, Kristina V Bergersen, Yuxin He, Meera G Nair, Marcus Kaul, Erica C Heinrich

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Respiratory research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Veronica L PenuelasDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Kathy PhamDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Shyleen FrostDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Indira S Harahap-CarrilloDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Abel VargasDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Kristina V BergersenDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Yuxin HeDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Meera G NairDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Marcus KaulDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Erica C HeinrichDivision of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. erica.heinrich@medsch.ucr.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 7 million reported deaths and over 700.4 million reported infections to-date. Many individuals who recover from COVID-19 report prolonged dyspnea, sometimes persisting for months. Furthermore, COVID-19 has been linked to systemic and neuronal inflammation which may have downstream impacts on the neural control of breathing. Therefore, we hypothesized that individuals recovered from COVID-19 may exhibit changes in their ventilatory chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide and hypoxia, and that these changes may be linked to systemic inflammation.

methodsTo test this hypothesis, we measured baseline ventilatory patterns and chemoreflex sensitivity in individuals recovered from COVID-19 (n = 77) and individuals with no prior COVID-19 infection (n = 41). Peripheral venous blood samples were also collected for inflammatory biomarker expression and profiling.

resultsRecovered participants demonstrated a small but progressive decrease in the hypercapnic ventilatory response under a co-stimulus with hypoxia (control vs. 24-month post-recovery; p = 0.023). Additionally, we identified several significant correlations between plasma inflammatory markers and ventilatory chemoreflex characteristics, including a positive correlation between SAA and CRP and the ventilatory response to hypoxia (p < 0.05 within recovered and control cohorts). Finally, expression of six vascular inflammatory markers (Myoglobin, NGAL, MMP-2, OPN, IGFBP-4, and Cystatin C) was unexpectedly decreased in recovered participants compared to the control cohort for up to one-year post recovery.

conclusionsOverall, this data indicates that COVID-19 and other acute viral infections may have a modest impact on the chemoreflex control of breathing as well as systemic inflammatory profiles, and that these changes may be linked to each other. These findings may strengthen our understanding of the pathology of long-COVID symptoms.

Indexed as

COVID-19InflammationInflammation MediatorsReflexAdultBiomarkersChemoreceptor CellsCohort StudiesFemaleHumansHypoxiaMaleMiddle AgedTime FactorsBiomarkersInflammation MediatorsChemoreflexControl of breathingCOVID-19HypercapniaHypoxiaInflammatory biomarkerSystemic inflammationVentilatory response

Identifiers

PMID41566332
PMCPMC12908332

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.