According to wastewater figures, the number of Covid infections in Austria is currently at a low level, but the coronavirus is still circulating. And remains dangerous, as shown by a now published study, which shows that Long Covid ages the brain by up to twenty years.
A current so-called preprint study from Britain shows that Covid-19 is not just a “respiratory disease” as some people are downplaying it, the findings of which – if confirmed by further research – would be extremely worrying.
Memory and concentration problems
Because in some cases people with Covid-19 continue to suffer from the consequences long after infection with the coronavirus (this is called Long Covid, please note) and complain of memory and concentration problems, the possible effects on the human brain are at stake. order. of numerous studies.
The symptom known as brain fog, which affects thinking ability, even indicates long-term brain damage and may also influence the early development of forms of dementia, according to the English preprint study.
Anatomical changes in the brain
Cognitive (mental) deficits that arise one year after infection with Covid-19 are accompanied by a reduction in the volume of the so-called gray matter, the English researchers discovered in a study with 351 corona patients in which biomarkers were collected and CT brain scans were made. “The cognitive and memory problems that patients complained about were related to neuroanatomical changes in the brain,” said study leader Benedict Michael of the University of Liverpool.
According to the scientists, the brain damage found in Covid patients would correspond to an aging of the brain by 20 years: “Compared to normative age-equivalent data, these deficits corresponded in magnitude to aging between 50 and 70 years. ‘ they write in the preprint of the study.
Previous research showed that the corona pandemic is associated with an increased risk of dementia. It is still unclear to what extent the established brain damage leads to permanent cognitive decline, reports the website Medscape, which has summarized the results of the new research.
Source: Krone
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