πŸ“– What we now know about Long COVID and our brains

Wijeratne et al / University of Melbourne • 6 January 2023

❦ Globally, millions of people have contracted COVID-19 over the past few years, and some have even caught the virus two or more times.


Of more than 665 million cases worldwide, nearly one in two people with COVID-19 is at risk of developing Post-COVID-19 Neurological Syndrome (PCNS).


Symptoms of Post-COVID-19 Neurological Syndrome (PCNS) mimic some of the symptoms we see after a stroke, and younger adults seem to be at particular risk.


It’s worth noting that a link between brain health and Coronavirus infections has been known since 2006, so in this context the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the brain may arguably be the expectation rather than the exception.


Nearly one in two people who have reportedly recovered from acute COVID-19 cite disabling fatigue – that is, fatigue lasting more than twelve weeks – coupled with a series of attention and cognitive deficits similar to persistent post-stroke neurological symptoms.


We have already reported on the shared pathobiology between stroke and COVID-19 at a cellular level.


So, it should not be surprising to see the long-term impact on the brain with a persistent inflammatory response (potentially due to viral persistence, immune dysregulation or autoimmunity).

 

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πŸ“– Related: (1 Jan 2023 ~ The Lancet) The prevalence and long-term health effects of Long Covid among hospitalised and non-hospitalised populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis ➀


πŸ“– Related: (7 Mar 2022 ~ Nature) SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank ➀


πŸ“– Related: (12 Jan 2021 ~ Australian Journal of General Practice) COVID-19 and long-term neurological problems: Challenges ahead with Post-COVID-19 Neurological Syndrome ➀


πŸ“– Related: (1 Feb 2006 ~ Nature Reviews Microbiology) Coronavirus infection of the central nervous system: host-virus stand-off ➀


πŸ“– Related: (28 Jan 2021~ Frontiers in Neurology) COVID-19 Pathophysiology Predicts That Ischemic Stroke Occurrence Is an Expectation, Not an Exception - A Systematic Review ➀


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πŸ“– (6 Jan 2023 ~ University of Melbourne) What we now know about long COVID and our brains ➀


© 2023 Wijeratne et al / University of Melbourne.

πŸ“– (6 Jan 2023 ~ University of Melbourne) What we now know about long COVID and our brains ➀


© 2023 Wijeratne et al / University of Melbourne.