EVEN a mild Covid infection can take a toll on your memory and attention, scientists say - with effects lingering up to 18 months later. It's not just people who survived a severe bout of Covid-19 that can be left battling "brain fog". A new study conducted by scientists at the University of São Paulo in Brazil found that those who weathered only mild infections were still left with cognitive impairments months after their illness.
They collected data from 302 volunteers who'd had mild, moderate or severe cases of Covid. Researchers assessed their IQ, attention, memory, processing speed, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety , and stress, at least eighteen months after infection. All three groups reported lingering memory loss and trouble with concentration.
As might be expected, these symptoms were most severe in patients who'd suffered a severe infection, with just under 50 per cent reporting cognitive impairment. Thirty-nine per cent of people who'd had a moderate bout of Covid said they had residual impacts to their memory and attention. But 11.
7 per cent of those who'd had minimal Covid symptoms still reported lingering cognitive impacts in the months after being recovering from their illness. Researchers did note that "cognitive difficulties may diminish over time in milder cases", based on their results. Most read in Health "We showed that cognitive symptoms persist in mild cases and are even more prevalent in individuals with severe manifestations," they wrote .