Covid: Brain fog more common two years on, study suggests

Two years after having Covid-19, diagnoses of brain fog, dementia and epilepsy are more common than after other respiratory infections, a study by the University of Oxford suggests.

But anxiety and depression are no more likely in adults or children two years on, the research found.

More research is needed to understand how and why Covid could lead to other conditions.

This study looked at the risks of 14 different disorders in 1.25 million patients two years on from Covid, mostly in the US. It then compared them with a closely-matched group of 1.25 million people who had a different respiratory infection.

In the group who had Covid, after two years, there were more new cases of:

• dementia, stroke and brain fog in adults aged over 65
• brain fog in adults aged 18-64
• epilepsy and psychotic disorders in children, although the overall risks were small.

Some disorders became less common two years after Covid, including:

• anxiety and depression in children and adults
• psychotic disorders in adults.

The increased risk of depression and anxiety in adults lasts less than two months before returning to normal levels, the research found.

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Source BBC News, 18 August 2022