A study out of Cambridge University shows that some Long COVID symptoms may be caused by damage to the brainstem during a COVID-19 infection. The researchers analyzed brain scans of 30 long COVID patients who had severe COVID infections. The scans revealed damage to areas of the brainstem linked to symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety. These brainstem abnormalities appeared several weeks following admission to the hospital for COVID-19.
“The brainstem is the critical junction box between our conscious selves and what is happening in our bodies,” explained the study’s co-lead investigator James Rowe, Senior Research Fellow with the University of Cambridge Department of Clinical Neurosciences. “The ability to see and understand how the brainstem changes in response to COVID-19 will help explain and treat the long-term effects more effectively”.
Long COVID is a chronic health condition characterized by persistent symptoms for at least 3 months (sometimes continuing for years) following a COVID-19 infection. Long COVID can include a wide range of symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog.
- Dizziness
- Impaired smell or taste
- Sleep problems
- Cough
- Breathlessness.
- Headache.
- Heart problems
- Digestion issues such as constipation, loose stool or bloating.
Anyone with COVID-19 can develop long COVID, although people who experience a severe infection are at higher risk for developing the long COVID.
For more information about the Cambridge University Study, see HealthDay
To learn more about Long COVID, visit Mayo Clinic, CDC
