The German National Cohort (NAKO) makes it possible to assess the prevalence of Long COVID and to extend this perspective to the broader concept of post-acute infection syndrome (PAIS). PAIS can occur after infection with SARS-CoV-2 as well as following other viral infections. In contrast to studies that recruit new participants only at the time of infection, the long-term design of NAKO allows researchers to incorporate health data collected prior to infection. This enables the identification of potential causes and risk factors that may contribute to the development of PAIS and supports the development of targeted, personalised prevention strategies.
The aim of the EpiPAIS project – Epigenetic Patterns in the Pathogenesis of Long COVID – is to identify risk factors that increase susceptibility to PAIS following infection, and to detect epigenetic patterns that can be used to determine how these factors are related to epigenetic changes.
