Cognitive impairment another long-Covid symptom, Danish study shows
People who have recovered from Covid-19 may suffer from a cognitive deficit regardless of whether they developed severe symptoms or not.
Assoc Prof Dr Thira Woratanarat from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine raised this subject in a Facebook post on Monday, citing a recent study by Danish scientists published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Thira said the study found that 53% of recovered Covid-19 patients suffer some kind of cognitive impairment.
The study covered 194 patients, 91 of whom were hospitalised for severe symptoms, while the remainder were treated at home.
They have all been free of the virus for more than seven months.
The study found that over half of the patients had trouble remembering things, managing or making decisions at work, while some of them displayed impaired verbal communication skills. This cognitive impairment was detected in both hospitalised and non-hospitalised groups but was found more often among the elderly and those with underlying chronic conditions.
“Though we now have drugs to treat Covid-19 effectively, the best strategy is to avoid getting infected or reinfected to stay safe from the virus and its aftereffects,” Thira said. “If you attended a crowded party or visited family members during the New Year holidays, it is strongly recommended to stay isolated for seven to 10 days to monitor your symptoms and take an ATK test before returning to work.”
Thira, who is also chief of Chula’s Information Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, said if you feel sick or have flu-like symptoms but test negative, then you should take a test again in three days to confirm the result. This is because some ATK kits can be inaccurate, he said.
“Most importantly, don’t forget to wear a facemask in public places and wash your hands regularly,” Thira advised.
