Blood clots in the brain or lungs could be the cause of certain conditions after long-term covid such as brain fog and fatigue, shows a study from Great Britain. The study involved 1.837 people infected with the corona virus, for which they were treated in hospital.
Scientists say two blood proteins indicate that clots are one of the causes.
They believe that 16 percent of these patients have problems with thinking, concentration or memory at least six months after the illness. Long-term covid can develop even after milder infections.
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The research team, from the universities of Oxford and Leicester, emphasizes that:
- their findings apply only to patients admitted to the hospital
- they are only the "first piece of the puzzle" and further research is needed before any potential treatment can be proposed or tested
Identifying the indicators and potential mechanisms was a "key step" in understanding post-coronavirus brain fog, said Paul Harrison, study author from the University of Oxford.
But prolonged covid can cause many other problems.
"It's a combination of a person's health before the infection itself and what happens afterwards, which affects physical and mental health," explains Chris Brightling, professor of respiratory medicine at Leicester.
Simon Retford, a university professor from Lancashire, was in a coma for two weeks after contracting Corona 2020, and doctors told his family to expect the worst.
Although he has recovered 70 percent, he still finds it difficult to concentrate, has memory problems and loses his train of thought.
"Last month I was teaching a course and I was like a slow computer struggling to start up.
"If I overwork myself, I get tired," he says.
Although he may not make a full recovery, he remains optimistic.
"I'm still here, and thousands of people aren't," he adds.
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In the study Recovery after covid-19, published in the magazine Natural medicine (Nature Medicine) reported that high levels of the protein fibrinogen and the protein fragment D-dimer lead to brain fog.
"Both fibrinogen and D-dimer cause blood clotting, which supports the hypothesis that blood clots are the cause of post-covid cognitive problems.
"Fibrinogen can directly affect the brain and its blood vessels, while D-dimer often indicates blood clots in the lungs, and problems in the brain can also occur due to lack of oxygen," explains Max Tackett, author of the analysis from Oxford.
People with high D-dimer levels also complained of extreme fatigue, lack of sleep, and difficulty holding down a job.
An American study had similar results.
See also this story about the consequences of prolonged covid:
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