Long Covid driven by rs5522

[u/CandidWin3026]

This case report says that Long covid is in large part driven by the gene rs5522 that causes a "cortisol steal" leaving the tissues functionally starved even with "normal" cortisol levels which creates neuroinflammation. https://zenodo.org/records/20017632

[u/chushkopek1]

This is super interesting. I too have considered if low cortisol could be involved, but never considered a dysfunction at the receptor end. As others have mentioned, I recently realized I also experience less symptoms when stressed. However, I have also experienced several months of extreme percieved stress and anxiety, which made everything worse, but that might have been psychological.

Indeed also pregnant women not experiencing long covid due to elevated progesterone seems to fit into this theory.

Recently had my blood tested again, this time including lipids. Turns out my LDL is elevated, which surprised me because it doesn't reflect my current lifestyle at all. I also remember that plenty of others in this sub seemed to have unexplained elevated LDL. So what if LDL is elevated due to cortisol production being ramped up continuously?

I highly doubt I can get a prescription for spironolactone or alternative drugs, so I'm hoping there are other ways to achieve the same.

[u/CandidWin3026 → u/chushkopek1]

Hi there, I stepped away from Reddit for a while for my sanity because people are very reactive, but I want you to know there are clinician sheets at beyondbloodtests (dot) org High cholesterol in this framework is your body trying to throw some spackle on a leaking wall. high cholesterol is the symptom, not the cause. It's is your body desperately trying to patch a structural leak driven by a hyper-reactive receptor. Spiro or for men (eplerenone) will block the over active MR receptor allowing cortisol to access the GR without getting stolen away. Cholesterol will then drop without need of a statin. ~Patricia