The ill effects and long term symptoms of COVID aren’t just limited to breathing issues. The symptoms may extend to heart palpitations, brain fog, drowsiness and much more. Although COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, scientists have long known that the virus can also create issues in other bodily regions, such as the brain. According to a recent study from the United Kingdom, brain damage may continue to occur months after COVID infection.
Here’s what the COVID study says
While the individuals may appear healthy on normal blood inflammation testing, researchers discovered that some recovered COVID-19 patients still retained blood markers that indicate persistent brain damage, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.
According to a news release from the research team, 800 COVID-19 hospitalized patients in England and Wales were investigated by the researchers; half of them had newly diagnosed neurological diseases. The brain damage proteins, antibodies, and serum inflammatory proteins were measured by the researchers.
COVID can lead to brain damage
According to the release, patients with COVID-19 who experienced rapid onset of symptoms also exhibited greater levels of brain damage, blood indicators and inflammatory protein synthesis. Even while tests revealed minimal inflammation, researchers were shocked to discover blood markers that indicated persistent brain damage months after study participants were released from the hospital. The majority of those who had displayed new neurological problems throughout the acute phase experienced this.
Principal investigator Benedict Michael, PhD, director of the University of Liverpool's Infection Neuroscience Laboratory, stated in the release, "Our study demonstrates that markers of brain injury are present in the blood months after COVID-19, and particularly in those who have had a COVID-19-induced brain complication (e.g., inflammation, or stroke), despite resolution of the inflammatory response in the blood."
"This raises the possibility that there may be ongoing inflammation and brain damage that blood tests for inflammation may not be able to identify."
Long COVID symptoms that are commonly reported
Symptoms of fatigue that worsen with exertion, either mental or physical.Fever Symptoms of the lungs (respiratory system), such as coughing and trouble breathingOther potential signs and symptoms consist of:Neurological symptoms or mental health disorders, such as headaches, sleep issues, dizziness while standing, pins-and-needles sensations, loss of taste or smell, sadness, or anxiety.Pain in the muscles or joints.Heart problems or symptoms, such as pounding or rapid heartbeat and chest pain.Symptoms related to digestion, such as stomach pain and diarrhea.Blood clots cause problems with blood vessels, such as a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot that moves from deep veins in the legs to the lungs and obstructs blood flow there.Rash and menstrual irregularities.
