New long-term effects of COVID-19 virus continue to be discovered by researchers as they publish their findings. We previously reported on COVID nails as well as COVID tongue. We also covered COVID hair loss and toes. These unusual symptoms may appear for months after an infection.
We’ve also shared research that indicates some women with long COVID have experienced menstrual changes. Some men also experience erectile dysfunction (ED), even after other COVID symptoms subside.
Now, there’s a new study that suggests there’s another potential side effect of COVID-19—brain fog and memory loss.
Cognitive Problems Still Pervade in Patients of All Ages
This study was published in recent times JAMA Network OpenThis suggests that COVID-19 may be responsible for brain fog. The study examined data from 740 participants to determine if there was any cognitive impairment.
The average age of the participants in the study was 49 years, and they all had tested positive to COVID-19 within seven months.
According to the study’s lead author, things like brain fog, memory loss, trouble thinking, and other cognitive issues persisted long after the virus was gone. This happened to everyone.
The Most Common Problem
The study’s details revealed that memory encoding (learning new data) and memory recall were the most frequent issues reported by participants. The researchers discovered that 23 percent of participants had memory encoding issues, and 23 percent had memory recall issues.
The study also found that patients who ended up in the hospital because of COVID-19 were at a greater risk of suffering from a cognitive deficit compared to those who weren’t hospitalized.
They got less than they expected
Lead study author Jacqueline H. Becker Ph.D.—a clinical neuropsychologist and associate scientist in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City Becker—explained that she and her colleagues expected older patients would be the ones experiencing the cognitive issues. To their delight, however, the majority of patients they looked at were elderly. “fairly young.”
“We started to see that, over time, so many patients complained of these residual difficulties. We just wanted to get a sense of what was going on,”Becker spoke Health.
What is COVID-19 doing to brain fog?
Becker claims that scientists have many hypotheses about COVID-19 causing brain fog. “really don’t have the answer just yet.”
She noted that some autopsy studies suggest that one possible cause is that the virus that causes COVID-19—SARS-CoV-2—may “directly invade the central nervous system and brain.”However, she cautions that such studies are not valid. “obviously biased” because those findings were from people who didn’t survive the virus.
There’s also a theory that some folks may develop hypoxia (a lack of oxygen to bodily tissues, like the brain) when they are infected with COVID-19. It’s possible that brain fog could be an aftereffect of the hypoxia.
Becker’s theory “tends to be the most likely at this point”Brain fog may be caused by chronic inflammation. This virus can cause chronic inflammation even after someone has recovered from COVID.
“Cognitive dysfunction is likely multifactorial and may be a result of direct viral effects on the central nervous system, immune effects, some baseline risk factors or a combination of all,” infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh A. Adalja—senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland—Messaged Health. “In severe patients, sedatives and other ICU medications may play a role.”
Another sign of long COVID
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) People can develop conditions up to weeks after they have contracted COVID-19. This is known as “long COVID,”These symptoms can appear for up to a month after a positive test.
The CDC recognizes that long COVID symptoms can include brain fog and other symptoms.
- Breathing difficulties or shortness of breathing
- Tiredness and fatigue
- After physical or mental activities, symptoms can get worse
- Cough
- Stomach pain or chest pain
- Headache
- Fast-beating or pounding heart
- Muscle or joint pain
- Pins-and-needles feeling
- Diarrhea
- Sleep problems
- Fever
- Standing causes dizziness
- Rash
- Mood changes
- Changes in taste or smell
- Changes in menstrual cycle cycles
What to do if you develop brain fog
Researchers and doctors say brain fog is not uncommon in COVID patients. Becker recommends that you report brain fog if it occurs to you “definitely” see your primary care physician and let them know what’s happening.
Becker suggests Becker to anyone who has access to a post-COVID care centre. “get a formal evaluation.”If it continues, she recommends that you consult a neuropsychologist for evaluation and tracking. However, you shouldn’t expect any kind of treatment.
“We don’t know if certain treatments for cognitive impairment like cognitive rehab will be helpful for this population,” Becker says.
There’s Still A Lot To Learn
If you experience brain fog after a COVID-19 infection, Dr. Adalja says it’s unclear how long it will last. The good news? Brain fog is temporary. “likely dissipates over time in most patients.”
Becker agrees, pointing out that this is still “an area of active study.”She believes that doctors and researchers continue to learn. Her study revealed that there were still some ailments. “high level of impairment”More than seven months after the infection. However, she claims it. “could resolve after, say, 10 months.” Or, it’s possible it could “last much longer.”