Slowness of reasoning, lack of clarity in some thoughts, difficulty concentrating and memory failures. These are some of the symptoms that make up the so-called brain fog, a common consequence of Covid-19, which has even caused a loss of IQ.
Scientists seek to understand the action of SARS-CoV-2 on brain about four years ago. Although the damage caused by the virus has not yet been completely explained, many studies on the subject have advanced knowledge in the area.
Loss of IQ
Now, two new studies published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine measure how Covid-19 affects the cognitive system and causes brain fog. According to one of the studies, even a mild manifestation of the disease reduces the IQ of those infected by three points, on average.
Among those with persistent symptoms, such as shortness of breath or fatigue even after the infection has ended, cognitive decline equates to about six IQ points. Those who were hospitalized for the disease had a loss of nine points in their IQ.
Furthermore, the study showed that reinfection with the virus contributed to an additional loss of two points in IQ. They noted that cognitive decline was common both among those people who contracted the original strain of the virus, and among those who were infected by the delta and omicron variants.
The other search documented a multipoint worsening of people’s memory up to 36 months after they tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Covid-19 and the brain
Previous studies have already shown the damage of SARS-CoV-2 to the brain beyond brain fog. Research has shown that even when the virus manifests itself mildly and exclusively in the lungs, it can still cause inflammation in the brain.
This also harms the ability of brain cells to regenerate. Furthermore, this inflammation can cause changes equivalent to seven years’ aging of the brain.
Among analyzing the brains of people who died for other reasons but had contracted Covid-19 at some point, scientists discovered that the virus was still alive. present in brain tissue months after infection.
Imaging studies show brain volume shrinkage It is changes to the structure organ after infection. Other experiments have also demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers brain cell fusion. This effectively disrupts the brain’s electrical activity and compromises function.
Furthermore, a study that gathered data from almost a million people with Covid-19 showed that the disease increased the risk of developing dementia in people over 60 years of age.
Impact on health and public management
Although science is still exploring the relationship between coronavirus and people’s cognitive systems, existing evidence shows that Covid-19 poses a serious risk to human health. brain health.
For example, the average IQ is usually around 100 points. When below 70 points, the measure indicates a level of intellectual disability that may require professional and societal support.
Therefore, analyzing the data obtained in recent studies, researchers suggest that Covid-19 could increase the number of adults with a level of cognitive impairment in the USA by 2.8 million people.
In addition to brain fog, COVID-19 can lead to a range of problems, including headaches, seizure disorders, strokes, sleep problems, and tingling and nerve paralysis, as well as several mental health disorders.
This, in turn, may place greater demands on health systems, in addition to compromising the performance of the world population’s economic activities.
