News: Long COVID could be a brain injury, according to new evidence

Based on a series of cognitive tests, self-reported symptoms, brain scans, and biomarkers, researchers found that 351 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 had evidence of a long-term brain injury a year after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This new study has found that such symptoms may be the result of a viral-borne brain injury that can cause cognitive and mental health issues that persist for years, Medscape Medical News reported.

As part of the study, participants took a cognition test with their scores age-matched to those who had not suffered a serious bout of COVID-19. Then a blood sample was taken to look for specific biomarkers, which showed that elevated levels of certain biomarkers were consistent with a brain injury. Using brain scans, researchers also found that certain regions of the brain associated with attention were reduced in volume.

The brain deficits found in COVID-19 patients were equivalent to 20 years of brain aging and provided proof that this virus can damage the brain and result in ongoing mental health issues. Patients who participated in the study were "less accurate and slower" in their cognition, the study stated, and suffered from at least one mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder.

Editor’s note: To read Medscape Medical News’ coverage of this story, click here.