ArticleInfection2025
No reduced serum serotonin levels in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
Article in Infection, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Imbalance of Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurotransmitter Systems in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Neuroimmune pathophysiology of long COVID.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Review
- In vitro biomimetic models for respiratory diseases: progress in lung organoids and lung-on-a-chip.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Review
- Core features and inherent diversity of post-acute infection syndromes.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Disruptions in serotonin- and kynurenine pathway metabolism in post-COVID: biomarkers and treatment.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeApproximately 10-20% of patients previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), presenting with fatigue and neurocognitive dysfunction along various other symptoms. Recent studies suggested a possible role of a virally induced decrease in peripheral serotonin concentration in the pathogenesis of PASC. We set out to verify this finding in an independent and well-defined cohort of PASC patients from our post-COVID-19 outpatient clinic.
methodsWe performed a retrospective case-control study including 34 confirmed PASC patients and 14 healthy controls. Clinical assessment encompassed physician examination as well as questionnaire based evaluation. Eligibility required ongoing symptoms for at least 6 months post-PCR-confirmed infection, relevant fatigue (CFS ≥ 4), and no other medical conditions. Serum serotonin was determined by LC-MS/MS technique.
resultsSerum serotonin levels in PASC patients did not significantly differ from healthy controls. Most subjects had normal serotonin levels, with no subnormal readings. Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in serotonin levels based according to predominant fatigue type, high overall fatigue score or depression severity.
conclusionWe postulate that peripheral serotonin is no reliable biomarker for PASC and that it should not be used in routine diagnostic. Therapy of PASC with serotonin-reuptake inhibitors or tryptophane supplementation should not be based solely on the assumption of lowered serotonin levels.
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