Persistent, and in some cases debilitating, thinking problems affect a vast majority of Covid-19 patients who have never been sick enough to be admitted to the hospital, according to a study published Tuesday in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.
The research, from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, is based on an analysis of 100 long-term patients of Covid-19 whose symptoms lasted at least six weeks. Everyone originally had a mild illness: sore throat, cough, low-grade fever.
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But after the acute infection subsided, 85 percent reported at least four persistent neurological problems that affected their daily lives.
By far the most common symptom was ‘brain fog’, with 81 per cent of respondents reporting ongoing problems with memory and thinking.
Sixty-eight percent said they have headaches, and more than half said they have problems with loss of taste and smell, numbness or tingling and muscle aches.
Most were women, with an average age of 43. Less common symptoms were dizziness, blurred vision and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
Symptoms tend to come and go over a period of months. Most patients improve over time, but not all. Only 64 percent said they felt better after five months, but the vast majority still reported ‘intense fatigue’.
Patients “also had respiratory problems, despite the fact that they never had pneumonia or were admitted to hospital due to low oxygen levels”, said dr. Igor Koralnik, a study author and head of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine, said. Koralnik also oversees the clinic after Covid.
Although this study was small, it illustrates what millions of people will face in the coming months. Of the more than 30 million Americans diagnosed with Covid-19, it is estimated that up to 30 percent may experience long-term symptoms. That is as many as 10 million people.
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And a review of the research published Monday found that long-term Covid-19 has the ability to affect many organs in the body, including the lungs, heart, kidneys and skin, as well as the digestive system, nervous system and endocrine systems. .
Prior to their Covid-19 long-distance symptoms, 42 percent of respondents reported depression or anxiety, and 16 percent had an autoimmune disease.
“We want to understand the most effective interventions for these patients,” Koralnik said. “We are trying to figure out the best ways to manage and treat these patients, but further research is needed.”
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