It could be a new sequelae of the disease. According to a study, people hospitalized with Covid-19 seem to have thinking difficulties. Cognitive impairment similar to years of brain aging.
With age, cognitive functions inevitably decline. However, a degree of brain damage related to the severity of infection in the Covid-19 reportedly observed by British scientists.
In a study published in early May in the journal EClinicalMedicine, researchers at the University of Cambridge have indeed revealed a persistent cognitive decline in some patients. According to David Menon, lead author of the study, “Covid-19 causes problems with various organs in the body, including the brain, our cognitive functions and our mental health”. “If you have a vaccine and all your booster doses, the disease will be less trying and all of its symptoms reduced,” he said in the columns of the Guardian.
A loss of IQ
After carrying out cognitive tests on patients infected with the virus, the experts compared their performance with that of a group of people who had never contracted Covid. In addition to effects lasting for at least six months after infection, outcomes for hospitalized individuals appeared to be significantly worse. The speed of information processing would be particularly slower for these patients.
Moreover, the cognitive loss comparable to that which occurs between the ages of 50 and 70 would be equivalent to a loss of ten points of Intelligence Quotient (IQ).
As researchers continue to uncover the repercussions of Covid-19, this study marks a turning point in the search for the sequelae of the infection. “These trials will allow us to understand the underlying mechanisms and produce effective treatments to prevent this phenomenon and treat it later,” said David Menon.