Brain damage from Covid-19 uncovered by new study

Study by researchers at University College London warns of a potential wave of coronavirus-related brain damage, as new evidence suggests that Covid-19 can cause serious neurological complications, such as inflammation, psychosis or delirium.

This research, published on July 8 in the journal Brain, describes 43 cases of coronavirus patients who have experienced temporary brain dysfunction, stroke, nerve damage, or other serious brain damage.

“It remains to be seen whether we will see a large-scale epidemic of pandemic-related brain damage, perhaps similar to the epidemic of lethargica encephalitis in the 1920s and 1930s after the 1918 flu pandemic,” said to Reuters Michael Zandi of the Institute of Neurology at University College London, who co-directed the study.

“My concern is that we have millions of people with Covid-19 now. And if in a year we have 10 million people healed, and these people have cognitive deficits … thereafter, it will affect their ability to work and their ability to carry out activities of daily living, “said Adrian Owen, neuroscientist at Western University in Canada.

According to the study, nine patients with Covid-19 with inflammation of the brain were diagnosed with a rare condition called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which is commonly seen in children and can affect both the brain and spinal cord and can be triggered by viral infections.

According to the researchers, some of the 43 patients studied have no respiratory symptoms.

The importance of a large study

Ross Paterson, who co-chaired the study, told Reuters that “we may not yet know what long-term damage Covid-19 can cause».

Owen said the new material underscored the need for large, detailed studies and global data collection to assess the frequency of such neurological and psychiatric complications.

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