Most people infected with the new coronavirus will survive COVID-19. Some are asymptomatic and may not realize they are infected. Others will need hospitalization for worse forms of the disease. But to survive COVID-19, or to remove the virus from the system, does not mean that someone will recover immediately. COVID-19 will in most cases last about two weeks, after which the virus will disappear from the body. But so many people have symptoms after that for a few weeks. Many survivors even continue with COVID-19 a few months after the virus has disappeared, and doctors cannot explain exactly what causes this type of chronic COVID-19 disease, often referred to as ‘long COVID’.
Prolonged COVID symptoms can mimic COVID-19 symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches and cognitive problems such as memory loss and ‘brain fog’. The psychological side effects after infection can also be very serious, doctors warn, and many COVID-19 patients are likely to experience some form of psychiatric disorder, including long-term problems that may be necessary.
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Researchers at Oxford Brookes University looked at the available data on the psychiatric and cognitive effects of COVID-19 and published their work in Boundaries in psychology.
The authors explain that COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms, including headache, altered consciousness, and paresthesia (sensation of pins and needles). Autopsies revealed swelling of the brain and neurodegeneration. These are indications that the virus may lead to the development of ‘acute psychiatric symptoms and prolonged neuropsychiatric consequences of COVID-19’, similar to what happens with other viral respiratory diseases such as SARS and MERS.
The scientists analyzed various studies to identify potential acute and long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms in COVID-19, as outlined in other studies. Here are some acute symptoms:
- 20-40% of patients may experience headache, dizziness, encephalopathy, anosmia (loss of odor), agitation (loss of taste) and moodiness
- 65–69% of intensive care unit patients experience confusion and agitation
- 33% of patients had dysexequivalent syndromes (emotional, motivational and behavioral symptoms) at the time of discharge
The authors also point out that studies have shown that some patients may develop a newly diagnosable psychiatric disorder after infection. The new virus can directly affect the structure of the brain, with one study showing abnormalities in the brain “in the bilateral thalamic, medial temporal lobes, hippocampus and insular areas.”
Some patients develop encephalopathy and reduce blood flow in the frontotemporal brain region after an infection. Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) alone is associated with an increased risk of long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms, including epilepsy, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, cognitive problems, and dementia. The authors say that ‘long-term neuropsychiatric effects of COVID-19 are currently unknown’, but that SARS and MERS studies may provide some insight into the psychiatric disorders that may occur after infection with the new coronavirus.
Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD (55% of cases), depression (39%), pain disorder (36.4%), panic disorder (32.5%) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (15.6%) appear in patients surviving SARS has, according to one of the cited studies. Other long-term neuropsychiatric consequences of SARS and MERS include ‘depressive mood, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, memory impairment and fatigue’, which appeared in 10% to 20% of patients in another study.
The authors point out that it is also important to understand that neuropsychiatric manifestations, such as PTSD, depression or anxiety, after COVID-19 infection can also be a psychological response to infection, experienced in the intensive care unit or stigma of the contract infection. If similar proportions of long-term neuropsychiatric complications emerge after COVID-19, we can expect a precipitation of neuropsychiatric consequences, which will have major implications for the management of the extensive health care resources in each country. ‘
According to early data, it appears that “cognitive domains of executive functions, attention and memory are influenced by COVID-19.” The authors indicated that long-term neuropsychiatric and cognitive consequences may include affective disorders, anxiety, fatigue, and PTSD.
PTSD was observed in 96% of patients in a COVID-19 study from March 2020 onwards.
The authors of this latest study say that the neuropsychiatric symptoms may be the direct result of the virus affecting the regular pathophysiology of the brain, or ‘the psychological reactions due to COVID-19 and medical interventions.’ Doctors need to do additional research to determine the nature of these problems. “Early detection and prevention of neuropsychiatric and cognitive problems should be the long-term goal of health services and governments around the world, as it could be a ‘third wave’ of the pandemic,” the authors wrote.
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Chris Smith started writing about hobbies as a hobby, and before he knew it, he shared his views on technological things with readers around the world. If he does not write about equipment, he can not stay in it, even though he is desperately trying. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.