People who become ill with Covid-19 face an increased risk of developing long-term neurological problems in the first year after the initial infection, a major new US scientific study shows. Such brain complications include strokes, memory problems, seizures, depression, anxiety, migraines, movement disorders, etc.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led by clinical epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Ali, who published the paper in the medical journal Nature Medicine, analyzed data on 154.000 people diagnosed with Covid-19 in 2020-21, as well as two groups of 5.6 and 5.8 million people without coronavirus during and before the pandemic respectively (they were the control groups for comparison).
The study looked at brain health over the course of a year. It found that neurological conditions occurred in 7% more people with Covid-19 than without the disease. The most common disorder was memory problems and brain “fog”. Compared with people without Covid-19, those infected with coronavirus were 77% more likely to have long-term problems later with their memory.
An increased risk of Alzheimer's was also found among those who became ill due to coronavirus. Compared to the control groups, there were two more cases of Alzheimer's per 1,000 people among those who became ill with Covid-19.
“It is unlikely that someone who had Covid-19 will suddenly develop Alzheimer's, as the disease takes years to manifest. But what we suspect is happening is that people who were predisposed to Alzheimer's may be aggravated by Covid-19 and eventually develop the disease. It's a rare but worrying thing,” said Dr Al-‘Ali.
Also, compared to the control groups, people who had passed Covid-19 were 50% more likely to have an ischemic stroke, which is a blockage in the circulation of blood and oxygen to the brain. Such strokes - which are much more common than hemorrhagic strokes - can lead to difficulty speaking, cognitive confusion, vision problems, permanent brain damage, paralysis or even death.
Furthermore, people with an older Covid-19 had an 80% higher risk of a subsequent seizure, 43% for mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, 42% for motor difficulties (muscle twitching and Parkinson's tremor), 35% for mild to severe headaches, 30% for eye problems (blurred vision, dry eyes, inflammation, etc.a), and 22% for hearing problems such as ringing in the ears.
“Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of the long-term neurological effects of Covid-19. The findings show the serious long-term effects of the disease, which are part of the long Covid-19. The virus is not always as harmless as some people think,” said Al-‘Ali, who pointed out that Covid-19 has so far contributed to over 40 million new cases of neurological disorders worldwide.
“We see brain problems in previously healthy people and those who have had mild Covid-19 infections. It doesn't matter if you're young or old, female or male, or what your race is. It doesn't matter if you smoked or not, if you had other unhealthy habits or not,” he added.
A previous study in the same medical journal by roughly the same research team had found that coronavirus vaccines reduce the risk of long-term brain problems by about 20%. “It is certainly important to get vaccinated, but it is also important to understand that vaccines do not offer complete protection against these long-term neurological disorders,” Al-‘Ali stressed.
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