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Some patients who developed new cognitive symptoms after mild COVID-19 episodes had CSF abnormalities similar to patients with other infectious diseases. The discovery may provide insight into how SARS-CoV-2 affects the brain. The persistent symptoms of post covid fog in many patients while being treated for COVID-19 has caught the attention of experts.
Researchers from UCSF and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York analyzed the cerebrospinal fluid of 17 participants who agreed to undergo lumbar punctures. All participants had COVID-19 but did not require hospitalization. Of the 13 participants with cognitive symptoms, 10 had abnormal CSF. But all four cerebrospinal cord samples from participants without post-COVID cognitive symptoms were normal.
Participants with these symptoms had problems with executive function. They manifest as problems remembering recent events, coming up with names or words, staying focused, holding and manipulating information, and slowed processing.
Brain fog is a common aftereffect of COVID-19, affecting about 67 percent of 156 patients at a post-COVID-19 clinic in New York, according to a How Long Will Symptoms Of Brain Fog Last After Being Infected With Covid-19? study. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed elevated levels of proteins indicating inflammation, and unexpected antibodies were found in an activated immune system. Some were found in blood and CSF, suggesting a systemic inflammatory response, or were specific to CSF, suggesting brain inflammation. While the targets of these antibodies are unknown, they may be "renegade" antibodies that attack the body itself.
Immune system running wild months after COVIDA virus-stimulated immune system could function in an unexpected pathological way, which would be the case even in these individuals without the virus in their bodies, with the lumbar punctures occurring on average 10 months after the participants first experienced symptoms of COVID.
The researchers also found that participants with cognitive symptoms had an average of 2.5 cognitive risk factors, while those without symptoms had an average of less than one risk factor. These risk factors include diabetes and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of stroke, mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia; and a history of ADHD, which may make the brain more susceptible to problems with executive function. Other risk factors include anxiety, depression, a history of alcohol abuse or repeated use of stimulants, and learning disabilities.
Test May Not Diagnose Mild Cognitive ImpairmentAll participants underwent face-to-face cognitive testing by neuropsychologists, applying the same criteria as for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Surprisingly, the researchers found that 13 (59%) of 22 participants with cognitive symptoms met HAND criteria, compared with 7 (70%) of 10 control participants. Comparing cognitive performance to normative references may fail to identify real changes, especially among those with higher pre-COVID baselines who may have experienced significant declines but remained within normal ranges.
If people tell us they have new thinking and memory problems, I think we should believe them, rather than requiring them to meet certain severity criteria. Cognitive symptoms have also been found with other viruses besides COVID-19 and HIV. These include the coronaviruses SARS and MERS, hepatitis C, and Epstein-Barr virus.
Due to the limitations of Western medicine in treating Long COVID-19 dizziness symptoms, LongCovidCareCenter also recommends some traditional Chinese medicine, including Chinese herbal formula and acupuncture treatment, to treat dizziness symptoms. In addition, this article also recommends that patients with Long COVID-19 dizziness take health supplements, as well as exercise, diet and sleep. The long covid brain fog treatment proposed by LongCovidCareCenter can benefit patients by improving their symptoms early, and even cure these dizziness symptoms caused by the new coronavirus. Contact us now.
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