Some researchers have hypothesised that Long COVID could actually be a form of Alzheimer’s, although more research is needed to explore this possibility. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s above the age of 65 approximately doubles every 5 years. And early research suggests that Long COVID can cause the brain to age ten to twenty years, increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Hyposmia, the inability to smell and taste, is also seen in both Long COVID and Alzheimer’s. This is no coincidence: in both disorders, neuro-inflammation can cause the protein phosphorylated tau to accumulate in brain cells. These are also known symptoms of dementia, and there’s a clear reason for the connection.Ĭognitive effects of Long COVID often manifest quite similarly to those seen in forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. The sensation of “brain fog” often reported by Long COVID patients includes trouble concentrating, memory lapses, and delayed thinking. The risk of such disorders also remained fairly consistent between delta and omicron variants. The researchers – who studied the de-identified medical records of nearly 1.5 million COVID patients of all ages – discovered that in the adult population evaluated, risk of mood and anxiety disorders shifted back to baseline after one to two months, but the risk of cognitive deficit, dementia, psychosis, and epilepsy remained elevated two years after infection. Although the severity of Long COVID varies significantly from person to person, for many, the protracted disease has resulted in serious damage to at least one organ system, including the central nervous system.Ī new study on Long COVID published in the Lancet shares an important finding about the categories of psychiatric and neurological conditions that may be associated with Long COVID.

As many as 35% of those who recover from an initial bout of COVID go on to develop Long COVID. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) define Long COVID as having lasting or recurring symptoms that last more than four weeks post-infection. With a recent influx of findings from research on the symptoms and trajectories of Long COVID over the past two years, it is now becoming clearer which neurological symptoms may be linked to the lingering effects of COVID-19 infection rather than other factors. The continued severity of the problem has put pressure on scientists to accelerate efforts to better understand the disease, and on health, agencies to offer more systemic support for its sufferers.

A new Brookings report reveals that nearly 4 million Americans have been so impacted by Long COVID that they remain unable to return to work, with similar statistics reported in other parts of the world. The question of which physical and cognitive effects can be conclusively associated with Long COVID has been notoriously difficult for researchers to pin down. © Fizkes CEO of ViewMind Inc, Mark Edwards, discusses the cognitive effects of Long COVID, aiming to understand the science behind brain fog and other COVID symptoms

Omicron brain fog treatment