Infection | Brain
Recovered Covid-19 Cases Still Show Brain Anomalies 3 Months Later
First data that neurological signs and brain structural changes persist in Covid-19. But can the brain self-renew with time?
Science knows that the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, can replicate in human neurons and brain organoids. Brain damage and neurological symptoms are also not rare in Covid-19 cases. Whether such brain insults are long-lasting, however, remains uncertain. And a new study published August in The Lancet, “Cerebral Micro-Structural Changes in COVID-19 Patients — An MRI-based 3-month Follow-up Study,” that casts light on this topic.
Persistent Neurological Symptoms
In this study, researchers at the Huashan Hospital in China recruited 60 Covid-19 patients that had recovered for over three months (mean age: 44.10; 56.7% males) and 39 non-Covid-19 controls (mean age: 45.88; 56.4% males). Both groups of participants were matched in terms of age, sex, and the prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, and underlying comorbidities.
During Covid-19, over two-thirds of these 60 recovered Covid-19 patients had neurological symptoms. Other common Covid-19 signs were fever (88.33%), cough…
