Thanks to advances in treatment options, a COVID-19 diagnosis is no longer as scary as it once was, at least for most people. A new study, however, suggests that it may now be easier to predict who is most likely to suffer with more serious disease symptoms based on leukocyte (white blood cell) count.

This effect is particularly pronounced in women, who already experience higher rates of cognitive impairment after menopause.

Higher levels of leukocytes -- a form of white blood cell -- are associated with more severe symptoms of long COVID among older women, researchers reported.