The long cloud of brain fog hangs over a select few recovering from COVID-19. Scientists are unsure what causes the ongoing affliction but a team of UK researchers believe blood clots could be at the centre of some cases.
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Patients with high levels of two proteins, or biomarkers, later experienced cognitive problems including brain fog, researchers from the universities of Leicester and Oxford found.
They said it was a "major clue" that blood clots could be a cause of serious and persistent problems with thinking, concentration and memory after COVID-19.
"The ultimate goal is to be able to prevent and reverse the cognitive problems seen in some people after COVID-19 infection," University of Oxford senior research fellow Dr Max Taquet said.
"Although our results are a significant advance in understanding the basis of these symptoms, more research is needed into the causes and effects before we propose and test interventions," he said.
The study reviewed blood tests from 1,837 people who were hospitalised with COVID-19 for the paper published in Nature Medicine.
The research team said this study is "the first piece of the jigsaw" and their findings are relevant only to patients admitted to hospital. There may be many different causes of brain fog and COVID-19 related cognitive issues.
Psychiatrist Professor Paul Harrison said "identifying predictors and possible mechanisms is a key step in understanding post-COVID brain fog".
"This study provides some significant clues."
COVID-19 in Australia
Australia had an average of 829 reported cases of COVID-19 across the last week of August.
Compared to the previous week, the number of hospitalised COVID-19 cases increased by an average of 0.1 per cent.
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Anna Houlahan
Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
