New research, co-published by Washington University School of Medicine and VA St. Louis Hospital in Missouri, shows that people diagnosed with COVID-19 have a higher risk of developing brain damage and neurological-related disorders within a year of infection than uninfected people. Among them, the chance of seizures and memory impairment is the highest.
Taipei, TAIWAN (Merxwire) – New research released in the United States shows that people diagnosed with COVID-19 have a higher chance of developing brain damage and neurological-related diseases within a year of infection than those who have not been infected. There was an 80 percent higher risk of seizures and a 77 percent higher chance of developing memory problems, the most variable among the 44 disorders included in the study. The study, a collaboration between Washington University School of Medicine and VA St. Louis Hospital in Missouri, has been published in Nature Medicine.
The study focused on 154,000 unnamed veterans who contracted COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and January 15, 2021. The research team spent a year collating and analyzing the comparative differences between the aforementioned confirmed cases and 5.6 million clean medical records during the same period. At the same time, it compared the 5.8 million medical records before the outbreak of COVID-19 to assess whether infection with the virus affects brain health. As well as increasing the risk of developing the 44 diseases listed in the assessment.
The study showed that compared to veterans who have not been infected with COVID-19, those who have been infected are 7% more likely to develop brain damage and related neurological disorders. In terms of symptoms and diseases, infected people were 80% more likely to have seizures than uninfected people. There was a 77% higher risk of memory impairment, known as brain fog. There is a 50% higher chance of developing an ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot. There was a 43% higher risk of developing mental health problems such as depression, poor stress adjustment, or anxiety. 40% higher risk of developing musculoskeletal-related conditions such as joint or muscle pain. The risk of developing headache symptoms was 35% higher.
Ziyad Al-Aly, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington University of Medicine, mentioned that it is different from previous studies only for hospitalization cases. This study incorporated patients not hospitalized, and the scope of the object is more comprehensive and complete. The main axis of this study is to explore the long-term and comprehensive effects of the nervous system of COVID-19 on the infected person. The results have once again proved that the infection of COVID-19 will indeed leave long-term sequelae.
According to the estimation of the research results, about 6.6 million people in the United States are related to being previously infected with COVID-19. Professor Ziyad believes that this result represents COVID-19 has a destructive and long-term effect on human health. It also shows that when a large-scale popular virus runs around the world, the world needs consistent and strategic prevention measures to reduce the huge sequelae caused by the virus.
