Updated October 24th, 2021 at 14:25 IST

People face memory loss months after recovering from COVID-19, claims study

In the latest study, it has come to light that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are still experiencing health problems like memory loss.

Reported by: Amrit Burman
Image: Pixabay/PTI | Image:self
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In the latest study, it has come to light that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are still experiencing health complications including memory problems. The proceedings of the study were published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, which claims in post COVID recovery nearly one-third of individuals who've been infected with the coronavirus is experiencing problem retaining information and focus. 

The health experts have observed 740 patients at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York and found that one thing which was common for people who've had coronavirus was the problem in things like "multitasking". Jacqueline Becker and other researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York explained in the journal that, "in this study, we found a relatively high frequency of cognitive impairment several months after patients contracted COVID-19. Impairments in executive functioning, processing speed, category fluency, memory encoding, and recall were predominant among hospitalized patients". 

People face memory problems months after contracting COVID-19

The patients involved in the study were tested between April 2020 and May 2021, and were all 18 years or above with no prior record of dementia. During the study, the researcher found that people after seven to eight months of COVID recovery exhibited signs of cognitive impairment, including problems in memorizing things, events. The study stated that the same people also experienced problems in making judgments and planning.

Notably, the research showed that those patients who turned critical after COVID infection or were admitted to the hospital showed signs of cognitive impairment. At the same time, some patients who recovered in the emergency department after critically falling ill were the ones who presented with a decrease in brain function. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the long-term effects of coronavirus is "brain fog," or difficulty thinking and concentrating. According to various study reports based on people's experience, most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness while some experience post-COVID conditions. Pertinent to mention here that post-COVID symptoms include a wide range of new returning or ongoing health problems which people can experience even after four or more weeks after being infected with the COVID-19.

Image: Pixabay/PTI

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Published October 24th, 2021 at 14:25 IST