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The “Brain Fog” After Covid-19
Around one in five of those who have recovered from Covid-19 report ongoing symptoms, also known as long Covid. Experiences with this new condition are varied, and several symptoms are neuropsychological in nature.
One such symptom is brain fog. Though not a medical diagnosis in itself, this term is recognised by many health professionals, and refers to a fluctuating and varied set of symptoms which severely affect the sufferer’s ability to think clearly, or conduct their lives as they previously have.
It manifests itself as deficits in executive function, attention, memory, and language, amongst other domains. With such a wide range of cognitive capacities affected, patients consistently described day-to-day functioning as severely impacted. One person noted that shopping in supermarkets had become surprisingly difficult: “It’s planning, it’s getting there, it’s choosing stuff. All of that is actually really difficult”.
Brain fog is a symptom widely associated with chemotherapy, an issue for 40% of those with HIV, and source of frustration for many during pregnancy, amongst other medical conditions. Several neurological mechanisms have been proposed, but as of yet scientists don’t agree on the exact physical cause. As such, research looking into this after-effect of Covid is likely to garner a wide array of responses.
One such symptom is brain fog. Though not a medical diagnosis in itself, this term is recognised by many health professionals, and refers to a fluctuating and varied set of symptoms which severely affect the sufferer’s ability to think clearly, or conduct their lives as they previously have.
It manifests itself as deficits in executive function, attention, memory, and language, amongst other domains. With such a wide range of cognitive capacities affected, patients consistently described day-to-day functioning as severely impacted. One person noted that shopping in supermarkets had become surprisingly difficult: “It’s planning, it’s getting there, it’s choosing stuff. All of that is actually really difficult”.
Brain fog is a symptom widely associated with chemotherapy, an issue for 40% of those with HIV, and source of frustration for many during pregnancy, amongst other medical conditions. Several neurological mechanisms have been proposed, but as of yet scientists don’t agree on the exact physical cause. As such, research looking into this after-effect of Covid is likely to garner a wide array of responses.