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One in eight people who have recovered from COVID-19 are diagnosed with their first psychiatric or neurological illness within six months of testing positive for the virus, according to a new study.
Researchers who surveyed 236,379 coronavirus survivors found that the number rose to one in three when people with a history of psychiatric or neurological illness were included, the Guardian reported.
In addition, the study found that one in nine patients were also diagnosed with conditions such as depression or stroke even though they had not been to the hospital at the time of the infection, according to lead author Dr Max Taquet of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford.
The study, which has yet to be peer reviewed, used electronic health records to assess inpatient and outpatient U.S. patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 who have recovered.
The subjects were compared to a group diagnosed with influenza and another diagnosed with respiratory tract infections between Jan.20 and Dec.13, 2020, according to the outlet.
Their analysis took into account factors such as age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, and any underlying physical and mental conditions.
According to the results, the likelihood of a COVID-19 survivor developing a psychiatric or neurological illness within six months was 33.6%; nearly 13% of survivors were actually diagnosed within that time frame, according to the study.
The researchers also found that most diagnoses were more common after episodes of the coronavirus than after the flu or other respiratory infections – including stroke, intracranial bleeding, dementia and psychotic disorders.
Overall, COVID-19 was linked to an increased risk of these diagnoses, but the incidence was higher in those who required hospital treatment, and significantly in patients who developed brain disease, reported the Guardian.
When asked how long these conditions might last after diagnosis, Taquet told the outlet, “I don’t think we have an answer to that yet.”
He added: “For diagnoses like stroke or intracranial bleeding, the risk tends to decrease quite dramatically in six months … but for a few neurological and psychiatric diagnoses, we don’t have the answer on. when it will stop.
Although the study does not prove that COVID-19 is directly behind the psychiatric and neurological conditions, the research suggests that the bug may impact the brain and central nervous system.
Dr Tim Nicholson, a psychiatrist and clinical professor at King’s College Hospital who was not involved in the study, said the findings would help researchers decide which neurological and psychiatric complications required further study.
“I think that in particular raises a few disorders in the list of interests, in particular dementia and psychosis … and pushes some further down the list of potential importance, including Guillain-Barré syndrome.” , he told the Guardian.
Meanwhile, another study found that the coronavirus could stay inside the brains of critically ill patients and trigger relapses in those who thought they had recovered.
Researchers at Georgia State University found that infection of the nasal passages of mice with the virus resulted in a rapid and increasing attack on the brain that triggered serious illness.
Assistant Professor Mukesh Kumar, the lead researcher, said the findings have implications for understanding the wide range of symptoms and severity of the disease in people who contract the disease.
“Our thought that this is more of a respiratory disease is not necessarily true,” Kumar said. “Once it infects the brain, it can affect anything because the brain controls your lungs, heart, everything. The brain is a very sensitive organ. It is the central processor for everything. “
This study was published in the journal Viruses.
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