The results of two new studies, as part of a long-running research project at the University of Cambridge on COVID-19 looking at the persistent effects of COVID-19 on cognition in the months following acute illness, revealed that many long-term COVID-19 patients experience significant impairments in memory or concentration even after Mild illness.
According to what was published by the New Atlas website, quoting Frontiers in Aging and Neuroscience, Lucy Cheke, senior researcher in the two new studies, said: “The long-term effects of Covid disease must be taken more urgently, bearing in mind that the problems of Cognitive cognition is an important part of it.”
The new findings come from an ongoing project called the “Covid and Cognitive Cognition Study” (COVCOG). The study recruited nearly 200 COVID-19 patients in late 2020/early 2021 and about the same number of demographically matched non-infected people, with the goal of “mapping” cognitive terrain in acute post-Covid-19 situations.
Approximately two-thirds of the COVID-19 group experienced prolonged COVID symptoms, which is defined as having one or more symptoms for more than 12 weeks after the initial date of diagnosis. Among those who have suffered from COVID-19 for a long time, the results revealed that 78% had difficulty concentrating, 69% had brain fog, 68% complained of forgetfulness and nearly 40% showed a condition known as semantic fluency (saying or writing the wrong word). ).
The study also found that those long-term COVID sufferers experienced significant disruptions in their daily lives, with more than half of the long-running COVID group unable to work for extended periods of time and a third of them losing their jobs due to their illness.
Perhaps most striking, the research found that half of the taller Covid cohort reported problems getting doctors to take their persistent symptoms seriously. Muzaffar Kasir, a researcher working on the COVCOG project, emphasized that these findings confirm that something real and serious has happened to these patients.
“This is important evidence that when people say they have cognitive difficulties after Covid, it’s not necessarily the result of anxiety or depression. The effects are measurable, and there is something to worry about. Memory difficulties can greatly affect people’s daily lives,” Kasser added. This may extend to the ability to properly perform their functions.
The new research concluded that there were “objective cognitive differences” between those who were infected and those who did not have COVID-19. But it is still not clear exactly what causes these persistent negative symptoms on cognitive ability. The researchers objectively assume that persistent inflammation is the cause of the condition, but they suggest that more targeted research is needed to verify the accuracy of that hypothesis.
“Infection with the virus that causes Covid-19 can lead to inflammation in the body, and this inflammation can affect behavior and cognitive performance in ways that are still not fully understood, but researchers believe that it is linked to an early excessive immune response,” Kasser added.
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