Memory and concentration problems are common in the long forms of COVID-19 and yet remain neglected or even ignored in many patients. Thus, this study reveals that approximately 70% of its participants with long COVID experienced difficulty concentrating and memory problems several months after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The study conducted with 181 participants concludes that 7 out of 10 patients with long COVID experience concentration and memory problems several months after the onset of their illness, and these problems are confirmed by the scores obtained on cognitive tests. The analysis reveals that:
- these patients with long COVID score worse on cognitive tests;
- the severity of these symptoms is related to the level of fatigue and neurological symptoms, such as dizziness and headache, symptoms that appear during the initial phase of the disease but which persist thereafter;
- half of those patients with perceived severe cognitive symptoms report difficulty getting healthcare professionals and physicians to take their symptoms seriously;
- 75% of those participants with these persistent symptoms also report long periods of incapacity for work.
- 78% report difficulty concentrating,
- 69% brain fog,
- 68% of forgetfulness or memory loss,
- 60% of fluency problems;
- these self-reported symptoms resulted in, among other things, a significantly poorer ability to recall words and pictures in cognitive tests.
To better understand the cause of these cognitive problems, the researchers investigated other symptoms that may be related. They find that participants who experienced fatigue and neurological symptoms, like dizziness and headache, early in COVID are more likely to experience these cognitive symptoms later;
these neurological symptoms months later are associated with lower cognitive test scores.
These particularly worrying results reaffirm the prevalence and symptoms of long COVID. They also suggest that cognitive difficulties after COVID are not necessarily the result of anxiety or depression.
Finally, these measurable cognitive effects are very real and must be better managed by professionals and health systems.
Finally, the researchers point out that their conclusions corroborate those of previous research, which already suggested that our societies are at high risk of being confronted with a “long tail” of occupational diseases.