Background Circle Background Circle
Study Finds COVID-19 May Lower Intelligence

Study Finds COVID-19 May Lower Intelligence

July 30, 2021 — Infection from COVID-19 may have a substantial negative effect on intelligence, according to a new large-scale study from the United Kingdom, findings that are consistent with reports of “brain fog” among long-haul COVID-19 patients.

Researchers analyzed data from 81,337 people who took the Great British Intelligence Test in 2020. Of those, about 13,000 reported they had contracted COVID-19, and 275 of those had completed the test before and after infection.

Those who had previously had the coronavirus found it harder to complete tasks related to reasoning, problem-solving, and spatial planning, the authors said. Researchers controlled for age, education, and overall mood.

“These results accord with reports of long-COVID, where ‘brain fog,’ trouble concentrating, and difficulty finding the correct words are common,” the authors wrote. “Recovery from COVID-19 infection may be associated with particularly pronounced problems in aspects of higher cognitive or ‘executive’ function.”

Working memory span and emotional processing did not seem to be affected.

How bad the cognitive decline was appeared to be linked to how serious the infection was. Researchers said those who had been placed on a ventilator while ill showed the most substantial effects. On average, their score dropped 7 IQ points.

“The scale of the observed deficit was not insubstantial,” the authors wrote. But they said brain imaging is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

“It is important to be cautious in inferring a neurobiological or psychological basis of the observed deficits without brain imaging data, although the assessment tasks used here have been shown to map to different networks within the human brain in terms of normal functional activity and connectivity as well as structural network damage,” they wrote.

The researchers speculate that high fever and respiratory problems could have contributed to the cognitive decline. But those symptoms had long dissipated for most people in the study — the authors noted only 4.8% of them reported lingering symptoms.

The study provides insight into one part of post-COVID — a condition that has been closely tracked by the CDC. According to the agency, long-haul COVID-19 can include a range of lingering symptoms several months after infection, including shortness of breath, headache, joint or muscle pain, dizziness, and a hard time thinking or concentrating, otherwise known as “brain fog.”

Source link

You Might Also Like!
Southern California Is Origin of New COVID-19 Variant
Southern California Is Origin of New COVID-19 Variant

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A new variant of COVID-19 found in Southern California is coursing across the ENGAGE+

COVID-19 vaccines: Safety, side effects — and coincidence
COVID-19 vaccines: Safety, side effects — and coincidence

As the pandemic rages on, it’s increasingly clear that widespread vaccination is essential to help contain it. Physical distancing, universal ENGAGE+

Give Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Blood Thinners
Give Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Blood Thinners

By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Giving blood thinners to COVID-19 patients soon after ENGAGE+

Covid-19: Vaccine as good in 'real world' as in trial in Israel
Covid-19: Vaccine as good in 'real world' as in trial in Israel

The Pfizer vaccine prevented 94% of infections in a group of 600,000 Israeli patients. Source link

Walmart, Walgreens, CVS to Offer COVID-19 Vaccines
Walmart, Walgreens, CVS to Offer COVID-19 Vaccines

Feb. 11, 2021 -- Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Walgreens will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines on Friday through the Federal Retail ENGAGE+

Experts Debunk COVID-19 Vaccine-Shingles Link
Experts Debunk COVID-19 Vaccine-Shingles Link

Feb. 9, 2021 -- The Reddit message board user was looking for others in similar misery to share their stories. ENGAGE+

Beyond COVID-19: Can mRNA Treat Diseases, Too?
Beyond COVID-19: Can mRNA Treat Diseases, Too?

Secondly, the FDA has yet to greenlight any of these treatments. What’s more, some early trials of mRNA therapies have ENGAGE+

Add Gum Disease to List of Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19
Add Gum Disease to List of Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19

TUESDAY, Feb. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Keep flossing: A new study finds that gum disease may raise the chances ENGAGE+