Research finds that long Covid causes brain fog and memory loss for more than a year

Research from a Sydney hospital has found that long Covid is causing brain fog and memory loss in patients for more than a year.

Research from Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital has found that long Covid is causing brain fog and memory loss in patients for more than a year.

The study – which examined 128 patients over 12 months – discovered that approximately 20 per cent of patients suffered from brain fog for at least a year.

It found they experience shortness of breath, fatigue, brain impairment, headaches and mental health issues. The research also showed that some who suffered from long Covid likened it to having a traumatic brain injury.

“The impact of long Covid on some is significant. I had one patient, a businessman who had to sell his business because he could no longer focus on contracts and negotiations during meetings,” Professor Bruce Brew from Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital told 9 News.

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The long Covid-19 clinic at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. Picture: Ryan Osland

And, the bad news does not stop there. The adverse effects of long Covid on the brain do not necessarily go away after 12 months, according to the study.

“We’re hopeful it will take another year or less to see some improvement in their condition but we just don’t know,” Professor Brew said.

“The study has also identified a marker of cognitive impairment – a nerve toxin in a particular pathway in the brain, which opens up the possibility of repurposing existing drugs to modulate this toxin, which could potentially give us a treatment.”

The research also found that patients diagnosed with long Covid did not necessarily feel severely unwell when they contracted it.

“There’s a common misconception that if you’re not severely ill with Covid then you won’t experience brain fog, but in our study nine out of ten of those suffering long Covid were not hospitalised,” Professor Brew told 9 News.

Research from Sydney St Vincent's Hospital has found that long COVID-19 causes damage to the brain. Picture: iStock

Professor Steven Faux who assists in the long Covid clinic at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital said that he had about 8 to 10 people attend the clinic weekly with the illness.

“What we’re finding is it’s actually affecting younger people, and they’re finding it really difficult to be able to continue working,” Professor Faux said.

Professor Steven Faux who assists in the running of the long Covid clinic at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney said he had eight to 10 new patients attend at the clinic a week with the disease, primarily young people.

“What we’re finding is it’s actually affecting younger people, and they’re finding it really difficult to be able to continue working,” Professor Faux said.

“We’re seeing people with slow thought processes and confusion which is very similar to a Traumatic Brain Injury,” he added.