The little-known effects of Covid-19 on the brain
The brain effects of Covid-19 include headaches, loss of smell, brain fog, delirium, strokes, blood clots, and hallucinations.
Covid-19It mainly affects the respiratory tract, especially the lungs of the patient. However, the disease also has effects on the brain, but less is known.
In addition to the obvious physical symptoms, the SARS-CoV-2 virus also causes neurological symptoms, which tend to last longer.
Doctors were surprised when people with a respiratory illness like Covid-19 complained of delirium, brain fog, and loss of smell/taste.
More severe patients reported both strokes and blockages in blood vessels in the brain.
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| Illustration photo: Osfhealthcare |
Professor James Goodwin explains that Covid-19 infection can cause the immune system to overreact and some people have a very high viral load, causing an uncontrolled response. This is called a cytokine storm.
Patients are primarily affected in the lungs, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome and risk of death. Other organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and brain can also be damaged due to low oxygen levels, inflammation, and blood clotting.
Covid-19 enters the brain through the surrounding blood vessels. The spikes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus attach to receptors, replicate, and then travel into the brain.
When the body is in a state of panic, the inflammatory response will try to defeat the virus by breaking down blood vessels, causing damage, affecting the immune system.
The brain effects of Covid-19 include headaches, brain fog (loss of concentration, memory loss), delirium, stroke, blood clots, loss of smell, causing hallucinations.
After recovery, some people experience severe neurological and behavioral disorders due to the (often temporary) scars left on their brains. They may have hallucinations and hear sounds that are not there.
Brain fog is a common feeling in even mild cases. It's because the virus has invaded - or tried to invade - the patient's brain and affected the cells.
But this is not too scary because research shows that the cells repair quickly and effectively, as well as have a fairly good ability to recover. That means that in just a few days, weeks or months in some unlucky cases, the brain will function again.