Brain Loses 20 Years Instantly… Major Adverse Effects of Severe COVID-19 ｜Dong-A Ilbo

It was found that their brains shrank and their cognitive function decreased. Brain aging, which would normally take 20 years, has accelerated immediately due to COVID-19.

It is the result of joint research led by the University of Liverpool, UK, with participation from King’s College London and the University of Cambridge. This was done as part of the ‘COVID-19 Clinical Neuroscience Research’ (COVID-CNS) with the support of the British government, and was published in the medical science journal ‘Nature Medicine’ on the 23rd (local time).

According to a research press release from the University of Liverpool, research subjects who were hospitalized due to severe symptoms of COVID-19 were found to have reduced cognitive function even after 12 to 18 months.

When the brain was imaged using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, brain volume in key areas was reduced and abnormally high levels of brain damage proteins were found in the blood.

The most surprising thing is that the cognitive decline after corona infection that was determined in this study is equivalent to 20 years of normal age. However, this was observed in very ill patients who required hospitalization and should not be generalized to everyone who has experienced COVID-19.

Nevertheless, the researchers emphasized that the decline in function seen in all the cognitive tests tested and the concerns about brain damage seen in the blood test results were the clearest evidence that coronavirus can seriously affect the brain and mental health even after recovery from respiratory problems. .

First author Dr Greta Wood from the University of Liverpool said, “After being hospitalized with COVID-19, many people complain of persistent cognitive symptoms known as ‘brain fog’ (a persistent feeling of being oppression as if there were fog in the head) . “However, it was not clear whether there was objective evidence of cognitive decline, if there was, whether there was biological evidence of brain damage, and more importantly, whether the patients recovered over time,” he said, explaining the background of the study.

The researchers compared 351 people with a history of hospitalization for COVID-19 with 2,927 normal controls. A comparative analysis of physiology, serum biomarkers, and neuroimaging was performed for one year.

Among the 351 people, there was a mix of people (54%) who suffered brain problems as a result of the COVID-19 infection and those who did not (46%).

A general mental decline appeared. There was a significant correlation between the severity of the initial disease, psychiatric symptoms after the acute phase, and the development of encephalopathy due to complications. Cognitive decline was associated with increased brain damage biomarkers in the blood and decreased gray matter volume in the brain. Even in patients without neurological problems, complete mental problems have been found. Cognitive function showed some improvement immediately after discharge, but recovery stalled thereafter and most patients remained in poor condition even a year after infection.

“In this latest study, we examined 351 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with and without neurological complications. We found that both patients with and without severe neurological complications of COVID-19 had reduced cognitive function compared to their age, gender, and level of education. “This study compared the results with a control group of 3,000 people,” said Dr Wood.

Benedict Michael, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Liverpool, said, “Covid-19 is not just a lung disease. “The patients who are most affected often have neurological problems,” he said. COVID-19 worldwide.

He said that cognitive decline was confirmed even after 12 to 18 months. itself can cause mental impairment even without a neurological diagnosis. “Furthermore, the association of biomarkers of brain cell damage in the blood with volume loss in brain regions identified on MRI suggests that there may be a measurable biological mechanism. which could explain this phenomenon.”