Researchers British studied the cognitive disorders caused by the severe forms of Covid-19. These could affect the intelligence quotient (IQ).
Severe forms of Covid-19 would be capable of causing cognitive disorders similar to those suffered between the ages of 50 and 70, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Imperial College Londonwhose work has been published in the journal eClinicalMedicine from The Lancet April 28, 2022. Or, according to them, the equivalent of a loss of ten IQ points.
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Professor Adam Hampshire, one of the authors of the study, claims that a “a large number of people still experience cognitive problems for several months” after a severe form of Covid-19, adding that he and his colleagues must “urgently examine what can be done to help them”.
First study of this type
Two and a half years after the discovery of Covid-19, we continue to discover some of its effects, in particular its long-term consequences.
In this study, researchers analyzed data from 46 Britons hospitalized and receiving extensive care for Covid-19 at a facility near London. They gave them cognitive tests of memory, attention and reasoning. They then compared to a control group of 66,000 people.
Result : “participants hospitalized due to Covid-19 had significantly lower scores and were slower in their responses,” according to scientists.
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According to them, this is the first time that such a rigorous evaluation and comparison have been carried out on the sequelae of severe forms of the disease.
The report also notes that there is growing evidence that Covid-19 can cause long-lasting cognitive and mental health problems, with recovered patients reporting symptoms like fatigue, “brain fog”, problems with recall. words, sleep disturbances, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder, months after infection.