Scientists claim that people suffering from Covid for a long time have some changes in the brain, who make their thinking and speech difficult.
Person diagnosed with Covid Photo: Frepik
A new study has found that these people have fewer protective proteins in the brain and higher inflammation levels, both of which are related to dementia, reports the Daily Mail.
Patients suffering from post-Covid (Long Covid or Covid long-lasting) syndrome also have weaker results in linguistic tests, such as finding the right word or understanding the meaning of certain words, which can be signs of brain fog.
Following the study that included only 17 people, the researchers intend to use the results to launch larger scale analyzes to find the causes of the long -lasting covid.
“From our knowledge, this is the first controlled study that shows neurocognitive and central nervous system changes self-declared in patients with long-lasting Covid, which validates the symptoms they have experienced“, Declared Dr. Michael Lawrence, the main author of the study and neuropsychologist at Corewell Health in Michigan.
Long-lasting covid is a chronic condition, according to Sanador, which is caused by a viral infection with the SARS-COV2 virus, with manifestations that persist at least three months from the time of infection.
It is estimated that 17 million Americans suffer from this condition, according to the Daily Mail.
Some people may only have difficulty breathing and fatigue, while others may have only brain fog and concentration. For this reason, the diagnosis of long -term covid is a challenge.
The study, published in Plos One magazine, analyzed 17 patients between the ages of 25 and 60 who were previously infected with Covid at least six months before. Patients, except one, were female.
The main causes discovered
Participants completed interviews about their persistent symptoms, which could have included brain fog, memory, fatigue, anxiety or depression.
The researchers also performed cognitive tests to evaluate the processing speed, language, learning and memory, problem solving, multitasking and concentration. Blood samples were also taken from each participant to test the high levels of cortisol stress hormone and inflammation.
Experts found that long -lasting Covid patients had 33% lower levels of nerve growth (NGF) in the brain, a protein that helps maintain neurons in the brain and central nervous system. Low NGF levels have been associated with neurocognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Patients also had 50% more interleukin 10, a protein that helps regulate inflammation and immune responses in the body. Although interleukin 10 normally controls inflammation, high levels may have the opposite effect and can create more inflammation in the central nervous system.
In addition, patients obtained 30% lower scores in language processing tests, suggesting that the disease triggers inflammation in brain language centers.
The team also found that patients with long -lasting Covid were 75 percent more predisposed than healthy patients to suffer a worsening quality of life. They also had a 61% higher risk of suffering from pain or general discomfort.
“Additional services, such as speech therapy, psychotherapy for reducing stress and incorporating drugs aimed at fatigue and mental fog could also be elements of creating a successful treatment plan.“Said Dr. Lawrence.
