So with the advent of coronavirus comes new insights into existing conditions which to date have yet to be fully explained. Indeed, some conditions like chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia are often met with ridicule by GPs the country over, with friends and associates left wondering if there is really anything wrong with suffers of these conditions at all.
What is lesser known, however, is that scientific tests have shown that people suffering from these conditions have very real and physical differences in their bodies compared to that of a healthy individual. Briefly, these changes include mitochondrial damage, small fiber neuropathy, and elevated homocysteine levels. All changes which could explain the fatigue and pain associated to living with a chronic condition.
There has long been a connection with Epstein-Barr virus and fibromyalgia, a condition which has long preceded the emerging phenomenon of long covid. Most people do not have bad responses to these common viruses. However, stress and a weakened immune system can lead to a longer infection, with potential complications. We are also learning how viruses can alter DNA, with Cas-9 CRISPR technology utilizing this to provide a method by which positive changes can be introduced into the human genome. Gene editing is an emerging field, and has many challenges still to be met before it can be used in a medical context.
The question is: could certain chronic health problems be associated to epigenetic changes brought about by viruses seeking to undermine the body's natural defenses, in order to reinfect after a period of dormancy? The body can naturally suppress DNA expression through the process of methylation. The genes responsible for methylation belong to the MTHFR (methyltetrahydrofolate reductase) group. The primary methyl donor molecule is SAMe (s-adenosyl methionine). One idea is that the virus changes host DNA in order to make methylation more difficult. Simply put, methylation involves the transferal of one carbon atom with three hydrogen atoms and in addition to controlling gene expression, methyl donation is also required in the production of serotonin, creatine and taurine, among others. To date, there are over 40 methyl transfers associated to SAM-e, with SAM-e being required for the production of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and secondary metabolites. Perhaps, then, any tax on methylation due to viral infection could affect a person's mood and overall health, by slowing down the production of certain molecules in the body.
We now know that eight percent of human DNA contains remnants of ancient viruses, with another forty percent being made up of repetitive strings of genetic letters thought to have viral origins. Viruses change us, but could these changes be responsible for ill health and the aging process? There are strong correlations between viruses and cancers, such as EBV, HBV, HCV, HIV, HHV-8, HPV, HTLV and MCV, all thought to change how genes are expressed, suppressing the immune system or causing long term inflammation.
Could other conditions, such as autoimmunity, arthritis, schizophrenia, alzheimers, have a viral origin? How would we test this? Maybe we could use super computers to read how our DNA changes from birth and and in response to viral infections. Technology has come along leaps and bounds since the conclusion of the human genome project in 2003. It once took 13 years and $1billion to read a person's genome. Now it costs only $3000 to $5000 and takes 1-2 days. Therefore, if there are changes within certain cells that have occurred after a viral infection, could we one day utilize Cas-9 to fix any damage done by viruses or other factors? Is there any good to be taken from the pandemic by the way we view viruses and chronic health problems, and the importance that society gives to funding new viral research and education?
