Brain Fog Among Common Long-term Effects of Coronavirus

In the past eight months, researchers from around the world have investigated the novel coronavirus and discovered its origins, development, and ways of transmission. It has now also been established that the virus affects multiple other organs of the body in addition to the lungs and can cause a number of complications during the infection as well as after recovery.

For instance, scientists have noted that people can develop different complications while having the virus depending on their overall health. Diabetic people may have a higher risk of blood sugar fluctuations.

Similarly, people with heart disease are much more likely to experience cardiovascular events such as stroke.

In some cases, even people who are healthy can suffer from severe health outcomes such as myocarditis.

While some patterns of the disease have been identified, the virus is still unpredictable and can cause varying effects from person to person.

This is also why the medical community has emphasized that there is room for much more scientific investigation even after months of research. Clinical trials and ongoing research from around the world are still reporting new discoveries regarding the infection.

Now, a number of studies are showing that as many as nine out of ten patients of the coronavirus infection suffer from side effects after recovery. These can range from severe effects such as heart disease to a general feeling of weakness and fatigue.

Read also: Most People Do Not Transmit the Coronavirus

The most commonly reported associated effect noted in patients from all age groups is brain fog. Though there is a need for further research on this matter, there is scientific evidence to show that brain fog affects all patients and remains for weeks after recovery from coronavirus.

For example, one study that was published in the Journal of Infection showed that more than one-third of the participants who recovered from coronavirus reported memory loss and difficulty in thinking even three months after recovery.

Recently, another South Korean research also examined the associated side effects of the coronavirus infection and concluded that over ninety percent of the patients struggled with at least one of the known effects of the virus brain fog and fatigue being the most prevalent ones.

The prevalence of brain fog adds further to the need for investigation on the coronavirus. In fact, research on this side effect can also help scientists in understanding brain fog further. At the moment, there is no single definition for brain fog as it is a condition that also affects people in different ways and is also not well-understood by the medical community.

People can report a variety of symptoms ranging from feeling tired, inability to concentrate, and think or even difficulty in speaking, remembering things, and memory loss.

In the case of coronavirus, there are a number of theories explaining its possible association with brain fog. One research suggested that signs of brain fog in coronavirus patients may occur due to the development of ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’ or PTSD.

According to the results of the study, patients of SARS-CoV-2, as well as previous coronavirus infections such as Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome or MERS, are more likely to develop PTSD, which may explain signs such as cognitive decline post-recovery. Further research is required to know more about the link.