The SARS-CoV-2 virus has wreaked worldwide havoc for more than a year. As the medical community continues to learn about COVID-19 disease, one phenomenon is becoming clear: Many people suffer from COVID-19 symptoms that linger long after they have initially contracted the virus.
People suffering from so-called “long COVID,” “long-tail COVID,” or “long-haul COVID” syndrome can have symptoms that range from vague to debilitating. Some of the most frustrating lingering COVID-19 symptoms are headaches and brain fog.
What Is Brain Fog?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the term “brain fog” refers to problems with thinking and concentration. People with brain fog have reported having trouble returning to their occupations and functioning efficiently in their daily life.
What Is Causing Brain Fog?
Brain fog becomes more understandable when you put it in the context of the other known neurologic manifestations of COVID-19 disease. Some people who have had COVID-19 describe neurologic symptoms such as headaches, loss of smell (anosmia), loss of taste (dysgeusia), and confusion, even when they have had only mild respiratory symptoms. Other people have had more serious neurologic complications with a COVID-19 infection, such as encephalitis (brain inflammation), visual impairment, strokes, paralysis, and seizures.
Researchers remain uncertain why these brain changes occur after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus but have implicated many processes: residual inflammation, deconditioning from being in an intensive care setting, small blood clots, or viral infection of brain fluid or the brain cells themselves.
What to Do About COVID-19 and Brain Fog
If you’re worried that you have brain, memory, or neurological issues after a COVID-19 infection, our BrainCheck platform can help you achieve an accurate assessment and diagnosis, while saving you time and energy.
To learn more about BrainCheck assessments, schedule a consultation with one of our medical providers today.
If you are having neurologic symptoms and you think you may have an acute COVID-19 infection, we offer COVID-19 testing at our Tribeca location.
References:
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Fotuhi M, et al. Neurobiology of COVID-19. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;76(1):3-19.
Garrigues E, et al. Post-discharge persistent symptoms and health-related quality of life after hospitalization for COVID-19. J Infect. 2020;81(6):e4-e6.
Hellmuth J, et al. Persistent COVID-19-associated neurocognitive symptoms in non-hospitalized patients. J Neurovirol.2021 Feb;27(1):191-195.
Huang C, et al. 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study. Lancet. 2021 Jan 16;397(10270):220-232.
Long-term effects of Covid-19. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html
Nakamura ZM, et al. Neuropsychiatric Complications of COVID-19. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2021;23(5):25.
Paterson, Ross, et al. The emerging spectrum of COVID-19 neurology: clinical, radiological and laboratory findings, Brain, Oct 2020;143(10)3104–3120.Weir, K. How COVID-19 attacks the brain. Monitor on Psychology, Nov 2020;51(8).