SEATTLE — Long COVID can be a challenging diagnosis for people who contract COVID-19.
Still, little is known about why some people who contract COVID-19 have a more difficult time recovering than others.
A new University of Washington study points to a history of trauma as a possible link to long COVID.
The study was part of the Seattle RECOVER study, managed by UW Medicine, which examined persistent post-COVID symptoms.
Both doctors began to notice that patients with long COVID who had a history of traumatic stress experienced issues with automatic body functions.
Hendrickson and Oakley studied the cases of more than 400 people through an online survey.
Researchers found that many participants experienced significant changes in their stress-threat response systems.
The cause of these changes is believed to be COVID-19 infections, which intensified the response in those with past traumatic stress.
Hendrickson stressed that not every person with long COVID has a history of traumatic stress and that recovery is still possible.
She believes this study could point people in the right direction for possible recovery methods.
“We should be able to think about how stressful events can impact the autonomic nervous system and physical health, and also how they can impact cognition, mood and anxiety — and hold both of these effects as real at the same time,“Hendericks said.
She hopes to expand the study to examine how traumatic stress and infections can affect people’s stress-threat response systems.
Both doctors and researchers involved in the study hope it will help not only with treating long COVID but also with other post-viral syndromes.
©2026 Cox Media Group
