Covid19 brings with it effects and symptoms even after several months of recovery, in fact a recent study has identified anomalies present in some brain regions that perform essential functions for life
The spot study compared healthy subjects to long-recovered subjects and the results are truly disturbing, especially considering that the brain changes could be permanent, causing further long-term damage to people’s lives.
The effects of LongCovid are now quite well known, especially those that are more visible, such as a continuous cough, problems related to breathing or abnormal fatigue. However, studies have revealed many rather worrying conditions involving subjects who have been healed for more than 6 months.
Studies have shown that the effects of Long Covid are visible both in the clinical pictures of those who have contracted the virus in the aggressive variants, and in the lighter or even asymptomatic ones. Among the most common, most encountered and disabling symptoms we can name:
- persistent fatigue, tiredness and weakness
- muscle aches and joint pains
- lack of appetite
- dyspnea and persistent cough
- chest pain, arrhythmias and tachycardia
- headache, difficulty concentrating
- smell, taste and hearing disorders
- nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and reflux
- mood swings, depression, instability, irritability, anxiety and psychosis
Researchers are monitoring all the effects of Covid since the first wave of infections, evaluating case by case what the symptoms and problems related to the virus could be, even in the long term, also evaluating the efficiency of the vaccination cycle which would seem to cancel or drastically reduce the effects of Long Covid.
What the studies say
The researchers carried out specific checks on patients with long covid and on healthy subjects, trying to identify the substantial differences in the brain through MRIs performed within 6 months of recovery. The results showed abnormalities in the frontal lobe and brainstem.
Experts reported: “These brain regions are linked to fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, headaches and cognitive problems. This study highlights the serious long-term complications that can be caused by the coronavirus, even months after recovering from the infection.”
The areas affected by these anomalies control language, memory and concentration but also coordination with the endocrine system for the release of hormones, the regulation of circadian rhythms and even the transmission of sensory and motor signals, therefore these are anomalies that involve crucial bodily functions.