Currently, the majority of the population knows, either from their own experience or from that of their loved ones, the effects of COVID-19. . We know what the most common symptoms are, the latest variants and even how to treat it or when we should worry. But do we know what brain fog is?

With each new strain there is a change in symptoms, which makes us constantly alert. And we are not just talking about strains, we can also talk about post-COVID. During the three months following COVID infection, it has been observed that a percentage Of the people who suffered from it, they suffer persistent memory and concentration losses. This applied to both patients with mild symptoms and more severe ones.

What is brain fog?

After recovery from the most common symptoms of COVID, sometimes a phenomenon called brain fog appears. People who suffer from it describe it in different ways, but with more or less the same characteristics:

• Memory loss.
• Difficulty when it comes to remembering, understanding or finding the right words.
• Attention and concentration problems.
• Feeling of overwhelmed when performing simple tasks.
• General confusion or “daze”.
• Dizziness or lack of balance.

Brain fog is summarized as an alteration of cognitive abilities, causing forgetfulness and certain difficulties with concentration and thelanguage. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that many of the patients who report it have not suffered any previous symptoms or neurological disorders. What’s more, this brain fog can occur even in asymptomatic COVID-19 individuals.

It is possible that these symptoms persist for even more than three months, and it is important to know when to simply live with them, and when to see a healthcare professional< /strong>.

Signs of brain fog

Anyone who thinks they may have any of the following signs , or once these symptoms come to interfere with their life , should see a doctor:

• Difficulty accessing semantic memory: problems understanding and remembering words.
• Problems with episodic memory: for example, not remembering certain tasks or where you left an object.
• Dysexecutive disorder: difficulty when planning and organizing.
• Mental clumsiness: feeling of slowness or stress when making any mental response.
• Symptoms of anxiety and depression: low mood, fear, irritability…
• Disorders of sleep and/or appetite.

In particular, it is important to keep in mind that if these signs are associated with another unusual symptom (weakness, difficulty speaking/seeing, tingling), we should go to the doctor immediately. urgent.

Why does it happen?

It is possible that in some patients, COVID-19 is capable of causing small brain lesions that could be related to this brain fog. However, there are other cases in which, despite these brain lesions not existing, the person still has this mental fog.

One of the medical suspicions focuses on an activation of the immune system that can have as a side effect an involvement of the nervous system. Another important suspicion focuses on the hypothesis that the hippocampus and part of the limbic system are greatly affected by the loss of smell and generates alterations in the new neurons.

Other medical suspicions are:

• Anxiety or depression.
• Imbalance in neurotransmitters.
• Vitamin deficiency.

Does brain fog only occur with COVID-19?

Although it may seem that this phenomenon only occurs in COVID patients, the truth is that any other disease could cause it. If researchers are right and this brain fog is caused by an immune response, any virus or bacteria, in fact, could untie her too.

Generally, when a patient suffers from a serious illness, there is always the possibility of developing cognitive problems. The only reason it has recently become more associated with COVID-19 is because right now, there are more COVID-19 infections.

Is there treatment?

In today’s medicine, the way brain fog is initially treated is similar to that of a head injury. It is very important to get enough rest and avoid stress.

In any case, it is vital to know as much as possible what the origin of brain fog could be in order to be able to treat it effectively. strong>. Depending on this origin, we will opt for one or another treatment.

Since there is no evidence to support that brain fog is permanent, it is most likely that after a few weeks >, the patient returns to normality. To do this, it is best to try to return to your usual routines and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a busy mind.