Researchers find evidence suggesting COVID-19 may cause brain damage



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According to a study from the National Institutes of Health, researchers found evidence to suggest that brain damage could be a product of COVID-19.

Researchers have found blood vessel damage and inflammation in the brains of 19 patients who died from COVID-19.

“We have found that the brains of patients who acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection may be susceptible to microvascular damage to the blood vessels. Our results suggest that this may be caused by the body’s inflammatory response to the virus, ”said Avindra Nath, MD, clinical director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at NIH.

Nath, the lead author of the study, added that while COVID-19 is most commonly known to be a respiratory illness, he hopes this study will help the medical community recognize the scale of complications that can arise. during the contraction of the deadly coronavirus.

“We hope these results will help physicians understand the full spectrum of problems that patients may be suffering from so that we can provide better treatments,” Nath said.

In this study, the researchers analyzed brain tissue samples from 19 patients who died of complications from COVID-19 between March and July 2020. The ages of these patients ranged from 5 to 73 years old and they died in a few hours to two months after the report. symptoms of coronavirus, according to the study.

The researchers noted that many of these patients also had one or more risk factors, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

After examining the brain tissue of the patients, the researchers determined that the damage they identified in the brain was the one most often associated with stroke or other neurological disorders.

“We were completely surprised. We originally expected to see damage from a lack of oxygen. Instead, we saw multifocal areas of damage typically associated with stroke and neuroinflammatory disease, ”Dr. Nath said.

The researchers expected to find damage from a lack of oxygen as COVID-19 attacks the lungs, preventing oxygen from reaching other organs that desperately need it to function properly.

“So far, our results suggest that the damage we have seen may not have been caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus directly infecting the brain,” said Dr Nath. “Going forward, we plan to study how COVID-19 harms blood vessels in the brain and whether it produces some of the short- and long-term symptoms that we see in patients.

Previous studies have indicated that people infected with COVID-19 may suffer from other neurological effects.

In a separate October study of more than 84,000 people, led by Adam Hampshire, a physician at Imperial College London, researchers found that in some of the worst cases, patients had suffered mental decline equivalent to brain aging. of 10 years.

RELATED: Researchers Note Decline in Brain Function in Some COVID-19 Survivors

Of all patients studied in October, 60 said they were put on a ventilator, 147 were hospitalized but did not need a ventilator, 176 received home medical assistance, have breathing difficulties, 3,466 had breathing problems but did not receive medical assistance and 9,201 were ill with no respiratory symptoms. The team said 361 people reported having tested positive.

When analyzing patient data, the study authors said they found significant cognitive decline in some individuals. “[Cognitive deficits] were of a substantial effect size for people who had been hospitalized, but also for mild but biologically confirmed cases that did not report any difficulty breathing, “the researchers wrote in an article published on MedRxiv.” Analyzes finer performances support the hypothesis that COVID-19 has a multi-system impact on human cognition. “

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS – SEPTEMBER 22: View of corona test tubes at a test site on September 22, 2020 in Utrecht, Netherlands. There is a shortage of testing capacity in the country, so teachers and medical staff have priority in testing. (Phot

Last month, FOX TV stations reported an incident involving a Missouri child who doctors say suffered a stroke after contracting COVID-19.

RELATED: ‘Be Aware’: Parents Issue Warning After 3-Year-Old Son Suffers COVID-19-Induced Stroke

Doctors have told parents of three-year-old Colt Parris that they believe the deadly virus triggered a blood clot, resulting in a stroke.

“The diagnosis of COVID is important because we believe that the reason this COVID patient, including the child, has strokes and a variety of other problems is because they have a tendency to form blood clots. Said neurologist Dr Camilo Gomez. Gomez also treated Colt.

However, neurological problems are not the only complications related to COVID-19.

RELATED: Ohio State Study: 30% of Student Athletes Have Heart Injury from COVID-19

In a study published in September, researchers at Ohio State University found that out of more than two dozen athletes at the university who tested positive for COVID-19, 30% had cellular heart damage and 15% showed signs of heart inflammation caused by disease. known as myocarditis.

According to the Mayo Clinic, myocarditis is usually caused by a viral infection with symptoms ranging from chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, to a negative impact on heart rate and rhythm as seen in conditions such as arrhythmias.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tweeted on September 17: “Heart disease like myocarditis is associated with some cases of # COVID-19[FEMALE[FEMININE. Serious heart damage is rare, but it has occurred even in young and healthy people. “



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