COVID-19 can cause a strange lingering condition referred to as Brain Fog. People have reported feeling not like themselves: experiencing short-term memory loss, confusion, an inability to concentrate, and just feeling differently than they did before contracting the infection. About a third of patients will have some type of neurological illness associated with COVID-19.
Neurological symptoms have been reported as a common symptom of COVID-19. Coronavirus can enter the brain.
Researchers identified Brain Fog to be a condition medically called encephalopathy. This condition is also experienced by patients who undergo a kind of immunotherapy called chimeric antibody receptor T cell therapy, which is a treatment for blood cancer. The therapy causes immune cells to release molecules called cytokines.In the study, 18 patients had spinal taps to look for the virus, but it was not found. In the rest of the fluid, researchers saw persistent inflammation and high levels of cytokines. A cytokine storm is a well-observed symptom in many COVID-19 cases. Brain fog may be caused by the release of cytokines by immune cells.
Preliminary data shows that COVID-19 is neuro-invasive, meaning the virus itself can invade the brain and nearby nerves. Something as simple as loss of smell, which is a symptom of COVID-19, indicates a neuro invasion because the nerves that are responsible for smell are in direct connection with brain.
A third of people will have complete recovery with no issues. Roughly another third will have lingering effects that improve after therapy and time, and then another third may have permanent effects, especially in cases where the patient has been intubated, has had multiple organ failure or has been under anesthesia for a while.