Researchers Claim Covid Might Affect Patients' Brain, May Lead To Dementia

The new studies suggest that many over 60 also have brain issues long after their initial infections and researchers are worried that lingering brain symptoms may cause dementia.

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New Delhi: Covid-19 has brought along with it other health complications leaving the affected to suffer some new ailments. Some of the symptoms include brain fog, attention issues, and confusion, and researchers are trying to analyse if these infections could have long-term consequences for the brain.

Although early studies are not reassuring, scientists in new research have found changes in brain biology in Covid-19 recovered patients with problems lingering months after infection. They have also found a link between smell loss and mental sharpness in older adults.

The new studies suggest that many over 60 also have brain issues long after their initial infections, according to the USA Today report. Researchers seem to be more concerned about the possibility that lingering brain symptoms may cause dementia years or decades later.

What experts say?

Dr. Ronald Petersen, who heads the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota, stated the duration of long-haul Covid-19 symptoms remains unclear. "It may be months before people get back to square one, but I don't think I would conclude that this is necessarily going to be a permanent, lasting condition," Petersen added.

Dr. George Vavougios, the lead author of one of the new studies, is concerned about the frequency of these brain problems. As per the report, half of participants in his study and others are showing cognitive problems after infection, regardless of their age.

People who have Alzheimer's, a degenerative brain condition, have faired poorly during the pandemic, Snyder said, with deaths up 16 per cent last year over previous years, both from COVID-19 infections and perhaps from indirect effects, like social isolation.

While studies have pointed that Covid-19 infection itself may deteriorate Alzheimer's condition.

While another study, published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal pointed out that people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the previous six months were more likely to develop depression, dementia, psychosis and stroke.