Forgetfulness; a lack of memory resulting in missed appointments and other important events
In severe, chronic cases, people have difficulty working or doing daily activities that require mental concentration, multitasking and coordination. Quality of life is severely impacted.
University of Cambridge findings
The research found seven in ten long COVID patients experience concentration and memory problems several months after the initial onset of their disease, with many performing worse than their peers on cognitive tests,
Half of the patients in the study reported difficulties in getting medical professionals to take their symptoms seriously, perhaps because cognitive symptoms do not get the same attention as lung problems or fatigue.
In a study of 181 long-COVID patients, 78% reported difficulty concentrating, 69% reported brain fog, 68% reported forgetfulness, and 60% reported problems finding the right word in speech. These self-reported symptoms were reflected in significantly lower ability to remember words and pictures in cognitive tests.
The majority of the victims suffered COVID-19 at least six months before the study began. Very few people had been ill enough with COVID-19 to be hospitalized.
Participants carried out multiple tasks to assess their decision-making and memory. These included remembering words in a list, and remembering which two images appeared together. The results revealed a consistent pattern of ongoing memory problems in those who had suffered COVID-19 infection. Problems were more pronounced in people whose overall ongoing symptoms were more severe.
These were other findings: People who experienced fatigue and neurological symptoms, like dizziness and headache, during their initial illness were more likely to have cognitive symptoms later on. They also found that those who were still experiencing neurological symptoms were particularly impaired on cognitive tests.
"This is important evidence that when people say they're having cognitive difficulties post-COVID, these are not necessarily the result of anxiety or depression. The effects are measurable - something concerning is happening," said Dr Muzaffer Kaser, a researcher in the University of Cambridge's Department of Psychiatry who was involved in the study.
Causes
Likely causes of brain fog are inflammation, decreased blood flow and decreased oxygen in the brain. Commenting on a new research finding of evidence of brain inflammation in long COVID victims: This information is important, noted Avindra Nath, MD, clinical director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH, who wasn't involved with the study. "It's consistent with the observation that there's a fair bit of vascular injury and repair taking place," Nath said. "In our COVID pathology research, we found there is disruption of small blood vessels in the brain: they leak a lot of protein into the brain and that sets up the inflammation." This view is consistent with findings of micro blood clots in long COVID people.
One analysis noted that even people with mild cases of COVID can experience sustained cognitive impairments, including reduced attention, memory and word-finding. Possible long-term neurological problems from COVID constitute "a major public health crisis," according to Avindra Nath of NIH.
One research study found three factors (i.e., female sex, respiratory problems at the onset of infection, and ICU admission) were significantly associated with reporting chronic post-COVID brain fog by the patients.
There has also been serious discussion of brain fog and other long-COVID effects resulting from COVID vaccines.
Solutions
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