Memory problems - colloquially called brain fog - are one of the most common brain-related, long-COVID symptoms. Extrapolating this percentage based on the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., that translates to roughly 6.6 million people who have suffered brain impairments associated with the virus. Neurological conditions occurred in 7% more people with COVID-19 compared with those who had not been infected with the virus. The researchers examined brain health over a year-long period. Movement disorders, memory problems, strokes and seizures are among the complications. People who have had COVID-19 are at an elevated risk of developing neurological conditions within the first year after infection, according to a detailed analysis of federal data by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Statistical modeling was used to compare neurological outcomes in the COVID-19 data set with two other groups of people not infected with the virus: a control group of more than 5.6 million patients who did not have COVID-19 during the same time frame and a control group of more than 5.8 million people from March 2018 to December 31, 2019, long before the virus infected and killed millions across the globe. 15, 2021, and who had survived the first 30 days after infection. They created a controlled data set of 154,000 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 sometime from March 1, 2020, through Jan. Patients included all ages, races and sexes. Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest integrated health-care system. The researchers analyzed about 14 million de-identified medical records in a database maintained by the U.S. “It is definitely important to get vaccinated but also important to understand that they do not offer complete protection against these long-term neurologic disorders,” Al-Aly said. The data also predates delta, omicron and other COVID variants.Ī previous study in Nature Medicine led by Al-Aly found that vaccines slightly reduce - by about 20% - the risk of long-term brain problems. It doesn’t matter if you smoked or not, or if you had other unhealthy habits or conditions.”įew people in the study were vaccinated for COVID-19 because the vaccines were not yet widely available during the time span of the study, from March 2020 through early January 2021. “It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, female or male, or what your race is. “We’re seeing brain problems in previously healthy individuals and those who have had mild infections,” Al-Aly said. Other than having a COVID infection, specific risk factors for long-term neurological problems are scarce. Overall, COVID-19 has contributed to more than 40 million new cases of neurological disorders worldwide, Al-Aly said.īig data analysis drove regional decision-making 24/7 The virus is not always as benign as some people think it is.” The results show the devastating long-term effects of COVID-19. We evaluated 44 brain and other neurologic disorders among both nonhospitalized and hospitalized patients, including those admitted to the intensive care unit. “Past studies have examined a narrower set of neurological outcomes, mostly in hospitalized patients. “Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of the long-term neurologic consequences of COVID-19,” said senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University. Louis Health Care system.Īdditionally, the post-COVID brain is associated with movement disorders, from tremors and involuntary muscle contractions to epileptic seizures, hearing and vision abnormalities, and balance and coordination difficulties as well as other symptoms similar to what is experienced with Parkinson’s disease. Such complications include strokes, cognitive and memory problems, depression, anxiety and migraine headaches, according to a comprehensive analysis of federal health data by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Those who have been infected with the virus are at increased risk of developing a range of neurological conditions in the first year after the infection, new research shows. If you’ve had COVID-19, it may still be messing with your brain. Louis shows people who have had COVID-19 are at an elevated risk of developing neurological conditions within the first year after infection. Strokes, seizures, memory and movement disorders among problems that develop in first year after infectionĪ comprehensive analysis of federal data by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. News Release COVID-19 infections increase risk of long-term brain problems
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