There is growing evidence that COVID-19 can cause lasting cognitive and mental health problems, with recovered patients reporting symptoms including fatigue, ‘brain fog’, problems recalling words, sleep disturbances, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) months after infection. Now, says a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points. The findings, published in the journal ‘eClinicalMedicine’, say the effects are still detectable more than six months after the acute illness, and that any recovery is at best gradual.
Comments are closed.