People infected with Covid-19 continue to develop neurological and psychiatric conditions, including psychosis, dementia, and brain fog, even two years after infection. We continue to face an increased risk of developing it, new research suggests.
Adults are also at increased risk of anxiety and depression, but this subsides within 2 months of infection and after 2 years is similar to other respiratory infections. .
A study of about 1.25 million people diagnosed with coronavirus found that children were more likely to be diagnosed with illnesses such as seizures and mental disorders.
These results have important implications for patients and healthcare services. Covid-19 transmission is likely to occur for a considerable period after the pandemic subsides
Paul Harrison, University of Oxford
But post-Covid Most diagnostic probabilities were lower than in adults.
A study found that the delta variant was associated with more disorders than alpha, and omicron was associated with similar neurological and psychiatric risks as delta.
} Researchers are calling for more support and resources for healthcare providers to diagnose and manage these conditions.
Professor Paul Harrison of the University of Oxford, the lead author of the study, said: In his first 6 months post-infection, the study suggests that some of these increased risks may persist for at least his 2 years.
"These results suggest that new cases of neurological disease associated with COVID-19 are likely to occur for a considerable period of time after the pandemic subsides." , have important implications for patients and healthcare services.
"Our research also explores why this happens after Covid-19 and what can be done to prevent or treat these conditions."
3D illustration of the delta variant of covid-19 (Alexander Borisenko/Alamy/PA)
In this study, diagnoses that analyzed 14 neurological and psychiatric data were collected from electronic health records over a 2-year period, primarily from the United States.
They found that in adults, the risk of being diagnosed with depression or anxiety increased initially after infection. After a relatively short period of depression and 58 days of anxiety, returned to the same state as other respiratory infections.
After 2 years, there was no difference in the overall incidence of depression and anxiety between the Covid group and the other respiratory infection groups.
However, Risks for several other neurological and mental health diagnoses remained higher than for other respiratory infections at the end of the 2-year post-coronavirus follow-up.
} Adults aged 18 to 64 who had Covid within 2 years had a higher risk of brain fog and muscle disease than those who had other respiratory infections within 2 years.
In this study, in adults aged 65 and over who had contracted Covid by two years earlier, brain fog (1,540 cases per 10,000) and dementia (450 cases per 10,000) A high incidence was also found. and psychotic disorders (85 cases per 10,000) were compared with those who previously had another respiratory infection.
Professor Harrison said the numbers, while not insignificant, were not huge, and the increased burden of mental and brain health problems that may have occurred in the entire population due to the pandemic.
