COVID Increases Neurologic Conditions Risk Within Year After Infection: Study

 

It was found that patients with COVID had 7% more complications than their similar, uninfected counterparts, such as strokes, seizures, memory problems, and movement disorders.

A new study has found that people who contract COVID-19 are more likely to develop neurological conditions within the first year after infection.

It took a year to analyze about 14 million medical records from a Veterans Administration database, according to a study published Thursday in Nature Medicine. A study of 44 brain and other neurological disorders found that COVID infected patients are more likely to suffer from neurological disorders than non-infected patients.

In the study, the team found that COVID infections resulted in brain impairments for approximately 6.6 million Americans.

A senior author and clinical epidemiologist at Washington University, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, noted in a release that previously healthy individuals and those suffering from mild infections are experiencing brain problems. No matter your age, gender, race, or cigarette habit, it does not matter if you smoke or not, or if you suffer from any other unhealthy condition or habit.

According to the report, strokes, cognitive and memory disorders, depression, anxiety, and migraine headaches were among the brain-related disorders. In addition to tremors, involuntary muscle contractions, epileptic seizures, hearing and vision abnormalities, and balance and coordination issues, post-COVID brains also displayed movement disorders.

People with COVID were 77% more likely to suffer from memory impairment, commonly known as brain fog.

According to Al-Aly, “We assess the long-term neurologic consequences of COVID-19 in our study.” Previously, studies have examined a smaller set of neurological outcomes, mostly in hospitalized patients. Both non-hospitalized and hospitalized patients, including those in the intensive care unit, were evaluated for 44 brain and other neurologic conditions. There are devastating long-term effects of COVID-19. These are part of long COVID. The virus isn’t always as benign as some may think.”

Over 40 million neurological disorders have been reported as a result of COVID-19, according to Al-Aly.

A large study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control earlier this year found that Americans who survive COVID-19 have a 20% chance of developing long-term COVID symptoms.

COVID-19 survivors under age 65 reported experiencing at least one symptom of long-term COVID, including brain fog, blood clots, kidney failure, respiratory issues, cardiovascular problems, and muscular problems.

After their initial illness, 1 in 4 virus survivors aged 65 and over suffered from long-lasting COVID symptoms.