The common symptoms of Covid 19 include fatigue, fever, shortness of breathing, and cough. Recently, many people who have suffered from Covid 19 in the last now complained of brain fog.
Lingering brain fog is a neurological symptom of Covid 19 that affects patients with Covid 19. Roughly 25% of people who have survived the virus complained about brain impairment and degrees of memory loss.
The question now bothering many scientists is that how can a condition affecting the respiratory system now cause different variations of neurological defects.
In this post, we will talk about all you need to know about Covid 19 brain fog. Meanwhile, check here to book any type of COVID test for Dallas region.
What is Brain Fog?
Strictly speaking, brain fog is not a medical or scientific term or condition. It is often defined as the situation whereby an individual has issues with thinking and concentration which leads to confusion, poor memory recall and feeling disorganized with a lack of clear focus.
Brain fog may last a few minutes each time or can last for several days at a time. This will surely negatively impact an individual daily routine and activities of daily living.
Brain fog can be caused by stress, anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, menopause, hormonal changes, use of certain medications, vitamin deficiencies, and some certain diseases such as sclerosis, hypothyroidism, and fibromyalgia.
What Is Covid 19 Brain Fog?
Covid 19 is a respiratory disease but it has some significant neurological effects such as loss of sense of taste and smell and headaches. It is believed that in most severe cases, the continual lack of oxygen in the blood for some time can have long-lasting negative consequences on the brain.
After many patients recover from the typical symptoms of Covid 19 such as fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty breathing some may have lingering brain fog.
They describe their feeling as memory loss, lack of concentration, confusion, lack of mental clarity, headaches, and fatigue.
Covi9 19 brain fog is difficult to establish as it is not a primary symptom of Covid 19 and as such many people met refuses to report it.
How Does Covid 19 Causes Brain Fog?
As we’ve said earlier, Covid 19 is a respiratory disease and as such precludes difficulty in ascertaining how it causes brain fog.
Scientists are still investigating the potentiality of this but they believed and assumes that some physiological and psychological factors have a play in this.
Covid 19 is a type of coronavirus caused by SARS-CoV-2 and it is spread through close contact with an infected person or surface. This is so because respiratory droplets can enter your body through your nose, mouth, or eyes or lay on surfaces contaminated by an infected person (though for a while).
Covid 19 enters into cells through an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The virus can affect the brain tissues as it is neuro-invasive. A study has shown that some people who’ve had Covid 19 develop complications such as encephalopathy which refers to damage or disease of the brain.
Also, another recent study found an increased level of inflammatory cytokines in the fluid surrounding the brains of Covid 19 patients weeks after their infection. Cytokines are molecules produced by the immune system that causes inflammation.
Inflammation in the brain hinders the ability of neurons to communicate with each other which may also be a factor contributing to brain fog.
It is also believed that other factors may cause brain fog, such factors as lack of sleep, feeling of loneliness, depression, decreased physical activity, side effects of medications, all of which can be largely caused by Covid 19 infection.