Natasha Chakraborty, Amity University Kolkata
On the 11th of March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic that spans almost the entire world. Starting from the initial months of 2020, when the birth of this pandemic-driven worldwide havoc was witnessed, to now at the beginning of 2021, we are still fighting to survive against the deadly virus. Billions of people all across the continents have been affected by the pandemic in some manner or the other. Some lost their very livelihoods due to the crushing economy caused by complete lockdowns, whereas a million others who directly fell prey to the very disease itself. Yet, quite surprisingly, the bigger percentage of the population in most countries have somehow survived through this deadly pandemic, some through speedy recovery and others who were completely untouched by it!
However, getting tested as “negative” for COVID-19 after the disease runs its course, may not necessarily be indicative of having become completely free from the virus in reality. Scientists have discovered new effects of the Coronavirus disease in a recent study known as the ‘COVID Symptom Study’. One of the symptoms highlighted in the article referred to as “Brain Fog” was observed during the recovery phase amongst certain COVID-19 patients, in whom the infection lasted for more than 3 to 12 weeks due to pre-existing neurological disorders. Another study conducted by the US-based – Indiana University School of Medicine, has found that nearly more than 50% of the people who suffered from COVID-19 for more than 4 weeks, were also suffering from Brain-Fog. It is observed that the brain fog condition among the COVID-19 patients was triggered by “persistent immune activation”.
Brain Fog is now being explained as the inability to concentrate or focus on something in particular. A person having Brain Fog depicts the loss of memory and an inability to focus on various things in a specific sort-of manner. Scientists hypothesized potential blood-clots caused by the coronavirus disease, to be the root cause. Although they have no confirmed data about the main cause for this rather unusual aftereffect of the disease.
According to a neurologist- Dr Smriti Mandana, the blood of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease is denser than the normal in comparison. This could cause resistance in the flow of blood to the patient’s brain. And because of this disruption in the pace at which oxygen-rich blood flows into the brain, few regions of the brain slows down, rendering a decrease in the functionality associated with the affected region of the brain.
Symptoms of the post-COVID-19 effect of Brain Fog:
- Headache
- Loss of focus
- Loss of concentration
- Loss in thinking ability and memory retaining capacity
Although the main cause or treatment for this disease is yet to be confirmed via in-depth research, few simple exercises may reduce the risk of acquiring Brain Fog after COVID-19 infection, according to doctors. They are- Brain exercises, meditation, controlled deep-breathing of fresh air, intake of sufficient amount of water, and playing brain-games like solving hard puzzles.
Also read: An aid to the pandemic: Development of the low-cost, highly efficient ventilator by UK scientists
Source: Couzin-Frankel, J. (2020). From ‘brain fog’ to heart damage, COVID-19’s lingering problems alarm scientists. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe1147
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