<p>Covid-19 is associated with persistent cognitive deficits, including the acceleration of Alzheimer's disease symptoms, researchers have found.</p>.<p>In addition to the respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms that accompany Covid-19, many people with the virus experience short- and long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms, including loss of smell and taste, and cognitive and attention deficits, known as "brain fog."</p>.<p>Initial findings from Greece and Argentina by an international, multidisciplinary consortium suggest that older adults frequently suffer cognitive impairment, including persistent lack of smell, after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.</p>.<p>The consortium includes scientific leaders, including the Alzheimer's Association and representatives from nearly 40 countries -- with technical guidance from WHO -- to evaluate the long-term consequences of Covid-19 on the central nervous system.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/all-you-need-to-know-about-breakthrough-covid-19-infections-1014113.html" target="_blank">Read | All you need to know about breakthrough Covid-19 infections</a></strong></p>.<p>The findings were presented at The Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2021, held between July 26-30 in Denver, US.</p>.<p>Other key findings by the consortium suggest that biological markers of brain injury, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's correlate strongly with the presence of neurological symptoms in Covid-19 patients.</p>.<p>Individuals experiencing cognitive decline post-Covid-19 infection were more likely to have low blood oxygen following brief physical exertion as well as poor overall physical condition, the researchers said.</p>.<p>"These new data point to disturbing trends showing Covid-19 infections leading to lasting cognitive impairment and even Alzheimer's symptoms," said Heather M Snyder, Alzheimer's Association vice president of medical and scientific relations.</p>.<p>Gabriel de Erausquin of the University of Texas Health Science Center along with colleagues from the Alzheimer's Association-led global SARS-CoV-2 consortium, studied cognition and olfactory senses in a cohort of nearly 300 older adults from Argentina who had Covid-19.</p>.<p>Participants were studied between three and six months after Covid-19 infection.</p>.<p>More than half showed persistent problems with forgetfulness, and roughly one in four had additional problems with cognition including language and executive dysfunction, the researchers said.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/explained-what-is-seroprevalance-and-what-does-it-tell-us-1014497.html" target="_blank">Explained | What is seroprevalance and what does it tell us?</a></strong></p>.<p>These difficulties were associated with persistent problems in smell function, but not with the severity of the original Covid-19 disease, they said.</p>.<p>"We're starting to see clear connections between Covid-19 and problems with cognition months after infection," Erausquin said.</p>.<p>Certain biological markers in blood are indicators of injury in the brain, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease.</p>.<p>To study the presence of these blood biomarkers, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in older patients who were hospitalised with Covid-19, Thomas Wisniewski, a professor at New York University, and colleagues took plasma samples from 310 patients with Covid-19.</p>.<p>Of the patients, 158 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 with neurological symptoms and 152 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 without neurologic symptoms.</p>.<p>The most common neurological symptom was confusion due to toxic-metabolic encephalopathy (TME).</p>.<p>In patients who were initially cognitively normal with and without TME related to Covid-19 infection, the researchers found higher levels of blood biomarkers in Covid-19 patients with TME compared to Covid-19 patients without TME.</p>.<p>"These findings suggest that patients who had Covid-19 may have an acceleration of Alzheimer's-related symptoms and pathology," Wisniewski said.</p>.<p>"However, more longitudinal research is needed to study how these biomarkers impact cognition in individuals who had Covid-19 in the long term," he said.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/cdsco-expert-panel-recommends-nod-to-study-on-mixing-doses-of-covaxin-covishield-1014413.html" target="_blank">Read | CDSCO expert panel recommends nod to study on mixing doses of Covaxin, Covishield</a></strong></p>.<p>George Vavougios, postdoctoral researcher for the University of Thessaly (UTH), and colleagues studied cognitive impairment and related health measures in 32 previously hospitalised mild to moderate Covid-19 patients two months after discharge from the hospital.</p>.<p>Among them, 56.2 per cent presented with cognitive decline.</p>.<p>Short-term memory impairments and multi-domain impairment without short-term memory deficits were the predominant patterns of cognitive impairment, they noted.</p>.<p>Worse cognitive test scores correlated with higher age, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.</p>.<p>After adjusting for age and sex, worse memory and thinking scores were independently associated with lower levels of oxygen saturation during the 6-minute walk test, which is commonly used to assess the functional capacity of people with cardiopulmonary disease.</p>.<p>"A brain deprived of oxygen is not healthy, and persistent deprivation may very well contribute to cognitive difficulties," Vavougios added.</p>
<p>Covid-19 is associated with persistent cognitive deficits, including the acceleration of Alzheimer's disease symptoms, researchers have found.</p>.<p>In addition to the respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms that accompany Covid-19, many people with the virus experience short- and long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms, including loss of smell and taste, and cognitive and attention deficits, known as "brain fog."</p>.<p>Initial findings from Greece and Argentina by an international, multidisciplinary consortium suggest that older adults frequently suffer cognitive impairment, including persistent lack of smell, after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.</p>.<p>The consortium includes scientific leaders, including the Alzheimer's Association and representatives from nearly 40 countries -- with technical guidance from WHO -- to evaluate the long-term consequences of Covid-19 on the central nervous system.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/all-you-need-to-know-about-breakthrough-covid-19-infections-1014113.html" target="_blank">Read | All you need to know about breakthrough Covid-19 infections</a></strong></p>.<p>The findings were presented at The Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2021, held between July 26-30 in Denver, US.</p>.<p>Other key findings by the consortium suggest that biological markers of brain injury, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's correlate strongly with the presence of neurological symptoms in Covid-19 patients.</p>.<p>Individuals experiencing cognitive decline post-Covid-19 infection were more likely to have low blood oxygen following brief physical exertion as well as poor overall physical condition, the researchers said.</p>.<p>"These new data point to disturbing trends showing Covid-19 infections leading to lasting cognitive impairment and even Alzheimer's symptoms," said Heather M Snyder, Alzheimer's Association vice president of medical and scientific relations.</p>.<p>Gabriel de Erausquin of the University of Texas Health Science Center along with colleagues from the Alzheimer's Association-led global SARS-CoV-2 consortium, studied cognition and olfactory senses in a cohort of nearly 300 older adults from Argentina who had Covid-19.</p>.<p>Participants were studied between three and six months after Covid-19 infection.</p>.<p>More than half showed persistent problems with forgetfulness, and roughly one in four had additional problems with cognition including language and executive dysfunction, the researchers said.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/explained-what-is-seroprevalance-and-what-does-it-tell-us-1014497.html" target="_blank">Explained | What is seroprevalance and what does it tell us?</a></strong></p>.<p>These difficulties were associated with persistent problems in smell function, but not with the severity of the original Covid-19 disease, they said.</p>.<p>"We're starting to see clear connections between Covid-19 and problems with cognition months after infection," Erausquin said.</p>.<p>Certain biological markers in blood are indicators of injury in the brain, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease.</p>.<p>To study the presence of these blood biomarkers, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in older patients who were hospitalised with Covid-19, Thomas Wisniewski, a professor at New York University, and colleagues took plasma samples from 310 patients with Covid-19.</p>.<p>Of the patients, 158 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 with neurological symptoms and 152 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 without neurologic symptoms.</p>.<p>The most common neurological symptom was confusion due to toxic-metabolic encephalopathy (TME).</p>.<p>In patients who were initially cognitively normal with and without TME related to Covid-19 infection, the researchers found higher levels of blood biomarkers in Covid-19 patients with TME compared to Covid-19 patients without TME.</p>.<p>"These findings suggest that patients who had Covid-19 may have an acceleration of Alzheimer's-related symptoms and pathology," Wisniewski said.</p>.<p>"However, more longitudinal research is needed to study how these biomarkers impact cognition in individuals who had Covid-19 in the long term," he said.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/cdsco-expert-panel-recommends-nod-to-study-on-mixing-doses-of-covaxin-covishield-1014413.html" target="_blank">Read | CDSCO expert panel recommends nod to study on mixing doses of Covaxin, Covishield</a></strong></p>.<p>George Vavougios, postdoctoral researcher for the University of Thessaly (UTH), and colleagues studied cognitive impairment and related health measures in 32 previously hospitalised mild to moderate Covid-19 patients two months after discharge from the hospital.</p>.<p>Among them, 56.2 per cent presented with cognitive decline.</p>.<p>Short-term memory impairments and multi-domain impairment without short-term memory deficits were the predominant patterns of cognitive impairment, they noted.</p>.<p>Worse cognitive test scores correlated with higher age, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.</p>.<p>After adjusting for age and sex, worse memory and thinking scores were independently associated with lower levels of oxygen saturation during the 6-minute walk test, which is commonly used to assess the functional capacity of people with cardiopulmonary disease.</p>.<p>"A brain deprived of oxygen is not healthy, and persistent deprivation may very well contribute to cognitive difficulties," Vavougios added.</p>