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COVID and Brain Fog

The neurocognitive impact of long COVID

Long COVID is associated with serious neurological and neurocognitive impairments for many people. This phenomenon is also referred to as neuro-COVID.

many people. This phenomenon is also referred to as neuro-COVID. Long haulers suffering from Neuro-COVID, or long-neuro-COVID, experience the lasting neurological symptoms after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. The most common symptom of neuro COVID is brain fog, which is the inability to think clearly.

COVID-19 damages the brain in various ways. Some of these can be devastating, including encephalitis, strokes, and lack of oxygen to the brain. Whereas, other effects are more subtle, like persistent impairment.

Along with direct effects on the brain, COVID-19 has long-term effects on other organ systems as well. The long haulers have lasting symptoms including fatigue, body aches, unable to exercise, headache, and difficulty sleeping. These problems may result from permanent damage to your lungs, heart, kidneys, or other organs. Damage caused to the organs or the symptoms alone can impair thinking and memory and cause brain fog.


Long COVID Brain Fog

PASC (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 infection), Long COVID, or post-COVID syndrome involve physical and/or cognitive symptoms at least 6-12 weeks after having a positive test for COVID-19 or symptoms of acute COVID-19 infection.

People suffer from neuro-COVID after COVID infection experiencing the acute manifestations of COVID-19 in the brain. These symptoms include headache and loss of smell along with some of the rarer problems, such as stroke, encephalopathy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.



Long COVID Brain Fog

Neuro-COVID in long-haulers causes lasting neurological symptoms after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. People with neuro COVID usually complain of brain fog that is the inability to think as clearly as usual.

Brain fog is the problem with thinking, memory, and concentration, but for some people, it can be challenging to describe.

Brain fog after COVID could be caused by various reasons, including:

  • Lack of oxygen causes lung damage.
  • Inflammation damages the brain cells.
  • An autoimmune disorder triggers the immune system to attack healthy cells in the body.
  • Lack of blood flow results in swelling of the small blood vessels in the brain.
  • Invasion of infectious cells into the brain.


COVID-19 Brain Fog

Inflammation in and around your brain would contribute to brain fog. But, other indirect ways are leading to brain fog after COVID-19 infection. Various factors are contributing to brain fog development, which includes:

  • Poor sleep quality
  • Feelings of loneliness
  • Depression
  • Increased stress or anxiety
  • Dietary changes
  • Decreased physical activity
  • Side effects of some medications

Symptoms of Brain Fog Caused from COVID-19

Time duration of how long brain fog would last after COVID-19 is still unclear. Some people encounter brain fog symptoms for weeks or months after the respiratory symptoms have cleared. Symptoms of brain fog may also appear as:

  • Walking into a room and forgetting the reason to be there.
  • Losing your thoughts.
  • Difficulty finding the right words.
  • Difficulty remembering anything you just read.
  • Taking a long time to complete tasks.
  • Forgetting things while cooking.
  • Leaving lights or appliances on unintentionally.
  • Forgetting things after becoming distracted.

These symptoms emerge after patients recover from the medical emergency and go back to work. Sometimes, patients even have trouble functioning on the job or managing daily responsibilities that negatively impact their quality of life.




Symptoms of Brain Fog Caused from COVID-19

It is important to seek medical attention immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Ongoing pain or pressure in your chest
  • Rapid heart rate
  • New mental confusion
  • Trouble staying awake or difficulty waking
  • Bluish fingernails or lips

Diagnosis of neuro-COVID effects is difficult. Doctors recommend magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI as it is very sensitive. But it also doesn’t show everything. When doctors image COVID patients to look at patients’ brains and try to find injuries as well as signs of damages.


Treating Brain Fog caused by COVID-19

Doctors believe this mental fog is not permanent. As of now, the best treatment for brain fog caused by COVID-19 is to adopt healthy habits. A healthy lifestyle, physical exercise, and keeping the mind busy, whether through work or puzzles, are all recommended to reduce the symptoms of brain fog. Some of the tips may help boost your mental function if you’re dealing with ongoing brain fog:

  • Plenty of sleep: Sleep is a time when the brain and body can clear out toxins and work toward healing.
  • Regular exercise: Physical activity is beneficial to your heart and lungs, it’s also a great way to boost your brain function.
  • Eat well: Try to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet to give your body the nourishment it needs to return to good health.
  • Avoid tobacco and alcohol: Staying away from tobacco products and alcohol can help minimize inflammation in your brain.

It is important to pursue various beneficial activities, such as engaging in the novel, cognitively stimulating activities; listening to music; practicing mindfulness; and keeping a positive mental attitude.


Other Neurocognitive impacts of COVID-19

Apart from brain fog COVID-19 has various other impacts such as dementia, stroke, and brain hemorrhage. It is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 patients, which increases the chances of being hospitalized more than three times.




Neurocognitive impacts of COVID-19

Not all people with neurological symptoms have been seriously ill in intensive-care units, either. It is also observed that loss of sense of smell with ongoing dementia-like symptoms in those who had a positive test for COVID-19.

Impairments included severe short-term memory, semantic memory (ability to recall a word, concept, number), executive function failure, and reduced attention times.


Outlook

Researchers are in the very early stages of understanding this pandemic and its potential long-term consequences. People infected with COVID-19 experience brain fog for weeks or months after their respiratory symptoms recover. The combination of physiological changes in the brain and psychological factors may contribute to the condition having long-term effects of COVID.

Doctors and researchers are working on understanding the reason behind some people developing neurological symptoms of COVID-19 whereas, others don’t. If you’ve had COVID-19 and have lingering cognitive issues that affect your ability to think clearly, be sure to follow up with the doctor.

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