Findings published by the University of Cambridge on the subject of long-Covid have shown “something concerning” happening in many patients.
The research project entitled The Covid and Cognition Study, or COVCOG, found that many long Covid patients are experiencing “significant and measurable” memory or concentration issues, even after a mild dose.
The study took on around 200 Covid-19 patients that were diagnosed with the virus in late 2020 and early 2021 as well as the same amount of “demographically matched uninfected controls".
According to researchers, nearly two-thirds of the cohort that had recovered from Covid-19 experienced symptoms of long Covid - which is defined as a symptom lasting longer than 12 weeks.
It found 78% had difficulty concentrating, 69% suffered from brain fog, 68% reported forgetfulness and around 40% displayed a condition known as semantic disfluency, which is when you say or write the wrong word.
Speaking about the initial findings, Lucy Cheke, senior COVCOG author said: “[Long Covid] urgently needs to be taken more seriously, and cognitive issues are an important part of this.
“When politicians talk about ‘Living with Covid’ – that is, unmitigated infection, this is something they ignore.”
Patients involved in the study also said they were finding it hard to have their doctors take the symptoms seriously, and were often told they were associated with anxiety and depression rather than an after effect of Covid-19.
Muzaffer Kaser, a second researcher working on the COVCOG project explained: “This is important evidence that when people say they’re having cognitive difficulties post-Covid, these are not necessarily the result of anxiety or depression.
“The effects are measurable – something concerning is happening.
“Memory difficulties can significantly affect people’s daily lives, including the ability to do their jobs properly.”
Most significantly, the study concluded that there are “objective cognitive differences” between people who have recovered from Covid, and those who haven’t been infected to date.
As further research begins on the subject, researchers have said it is unclear at this point what exactly is causing persistent cognitive symptoms in Long Covid patients.
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