Study: Long-term COVID-19 markedly impairs memory and concentration

A new study from the University of Cambridge has shown that many patients with long-term COVID-19 experience significant cognitive problems. Even if the disease proceeded in a mild form, it often leads to apparent impairment of memory or concentration.

The study included about 200 patients with COVID-19 and about the same number of demographically matched uninfected controls.

Approximately two-thirds of patients had symptoms of COVID-19 for more than 12 weeks after the initial date of diagnosis. Of these, 78% experienced difficulty concentrating, 69% suffered from brain fog, 68% reported forgetfulness and about 40% confused words and could not call some things by their proper names.

Because of these problems, more than half of the patients could not return to their work for a long period of time, and a third of them even lost their jobs.

Those who had the most extensive symptoms during the acute course of the disease are most likely to experience lingering cognitive problems, the study says. In other words, those who had a combination of neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiopulmonary symptoms were at greater risk of cognitive problems after a few months.

What exactly causes persistent cognitive symptoms is still unknown. Researchers hypothesize lingering systemic inflammation as a likely causal mechanism, but suggest that exploring this assumption will require more focused research. Kaser added: