2023-09-04 12:27:38
Along with chronic fatigue, brain fog, or “brain fog” in English, is one of the best-known symptoms of Covid-long. If we are still struggling to determine why some people infected with Sars-CoV-2 will have a long Covid, research has taken hold of the subject.
A new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine (Source 1), thus contributes to a better understanding of the cause(s) of Covid-long. Researchers report having identified two proteins involved in the blood clotting process in patients with post-Covid brain fog. This supports the theory that the appearance of blood clots during the acute phase of the viral infection would then lead to persistent cognitive symptoms.
Researchers from the University of Oxford and Leicester (UK) combed through the blood tests of 1,837 people hospitalized with Covid-19, to detect potential proteins (biomarkers) associated with problems later cognitions. The research team worked from data from the COVID-19 Post-Hospitalization Study (PHOSP-COVID), which collected information from thousands of adults hospitalized with Sars-CoV-2 across the Kingdom. United in 2020 and 2021. Participants underwent blood tests during their hospitalization, but also 6 months and 12 months following their admission. They answered questionnaires and took cognitive tests.
Biomarkers involved in blood coagulation
This is how, by cross-checking the data obtained, the researchers found that the presence of high levels of two proteinsfibrinogen and D-dimers, were associated with the occurrence of brain fog months following infection.
“Fibrinogen and D-dimers are both involved in blood clotting, and the results therefore support the hypothesis that blood clots are a cause of post-Covid cognitive problems. Fibrinogen can act directly on the brain and its blood vessels, while D-dimers often reflect [la présence de] blood clots in the lungs and [le fait] what brain problems might be due to lack of oxygen”, detailed Dr. Maxime Taquet, first author of the study, in a communiqué. He further points out that the presence of significant levels of these D-dimers might thus also increase the risk of respiratory problems, in addition to the increased risk of Covid-long with brain fog.
The authors of the study see these findings as a step towards a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to Covid-long. The ultimate goal is to manage to prevent its onset, and to reverse the symptoms when they occur. The trail ofanticoagulants should therefore be explored in detail, via clinical trials.
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