Doctor, why do I still have headaches, insomnia, and memory loss after more than half a year of yang? Ms. He, 45, came to the hospital for consultation.
The doctor said, check it first, these symptoms of yours are not necessarily the sequelae of the new crown.
So the head MRI was done, the carotid artery ultrasound was done, and the blood sugar, blood lipids and blood pressure were also checked, and the results were not much abnormal.
It is true that sometimes, anxiety or depression can also cause these symptoms.
Ms. He said that she has always been more cheerful and optimistic in the past, with a good attitude, but since she became yang, she feels that her body is getting worse, and now she has been sick for so long and has not recovered, and people will definitely be anxious.
Indeed, post-COVID sequelae is an unavoidable topic for many people.
In fact, there is a more scientific name for post-COVID sequelae, that is, long COVID.
The World Health Organization's definition of "long COVID" refers to individuals who may or have been confirmed to have COVID and who are still symptomatic for at least 3 months after infection, and who have symptoms for at least 2 months, and have no other obvious triggers.
What are the symptoms of long COVID?
Some people say that there will always be symptoms of cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, and chest pain after yang, which are all symptoms of the respiratory system, and some people say that after yang, there will always be symptoms such as abnormal taste, indigestion, belching, bloating, and unformed stools, which are symptoms of the digestive system.
In fact, there is another system of symptoms that are easy to ignore, and that is the nervous system.
Many patients may experience a series of neurological abnormalities after Yangkang, including headache, dizziness, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, etc., and a very small number of people will have serious neurological complications, including encephalitis, seizures and stroke.
The question is, after people are infected with the new coronavirus, will the virus damage the brain?
A study published in Nature Communications analysed samples from more than 800 hospitalised patients with Covid infection in England and Wales, about half of whom developed new neurological diseases after Covid infection, and analysed them by testing brain damage markers, serum inflammatory proteins (cytokines), antibodies and cranial nerve intertwined injury proteins.
The results of the study showed that key inflammatory proteins and brain injury markers were produced during the acute phase of COVID infection, and evidence of biomarkers of brain glial damage in COVID-infected patients remained during follow-up monitoring several months after discharge. This long-term effect is exacerbated in patients who develop neurological deficits in the acute phase, and they remain in recovery for up to several months.
It can be seen that the new coronavirus infection can damage the brain, and it is not alarmist.
In fact, regarding the impact of the new coronavirus on the brain, there has been a talk about brain fog for a long time.
Technically, patients who suffer from brain fog often experience severe, persistent cognitive deficits, or impaired executive function, working memory, and multitasking.
A study published in JAMA Netw Open in October 2021 showed that 24% of a group of COVID-19 patients aged 38-59 (including outpatient, emergency department, or inpatient) experienced cognitive decline, suggesting that post-COVID sequelae are not only occurring in the elderly, but also in middle-aged people.
A cohort study published in December 2022 in the preprint version of medRxiv found that 22.7% of subjects experienced brain fog or cognitive impairment, the fourth most common long-COVID sequelae after fatigue, shortness of breath, and headache.
In the face of a large number of facts, we must admit that the new crown damage to the brain has been hammered!
How can we reduce the damage to the brain after coronavirus infection?
After all, in the current situation, the long-term coexistence of humans and the virus has become a reality, and repeated infections have also become a reality, so how to reduce the damage caused by repeated infections?
First, improve immunity
Now there are no lockdown measures, and few people wear masks on the road, in such a situation, the new crown is almost impossible to prevent, when the new crown infection is unavoidable, it is crucial to improve immunity, as long as the immunity is improved, in order to reduce the load of the new crown virus in the acute phase of infection, in order to reduce the damage caused by the new crown virus, but also to reduce the risk of long COVID.
How to boost immunity?
It requires us to develop good Xi habits, including drinking more water, insisting on exercise, staying away from tobacco and alcohol, and regular work and rest.
Second, control the primary disease
Some people may suffer from one of the following diseases, such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc., and such people are more likely to develop long COVID after being infected due to the presence of underlying diseases.
Therefore, it is very important to control the primary disease well, and be sure to listen to the doctor.
Third, get vaccinated when you should get vaccinated
Although vaccines do not prevent COVID infection, they can reduce the risk of severe infection.
Fourth, post-infection treatment strategies are important
After infection, don't feel like you've been infected several times, it doesn't matter.
If you are infected, you should isolate at home, drink more water, rest more, eat and drink well, and sleep well, which is the key to recovery.
For some people with many underlying diseases, early antiviral therapy can also be considered.
At present, although the new crown JN.1 mutant strain is spreading rapidly in the world, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States and other countries, the new crown epidemic is relatively severe, although the mainland is currently at a low epidemic level of the new crown, it does not mean that the epidemic will not expand, because the Chinese New Year will soon be over, the flow of people will be large, and the risk of cross-infection will also increase, just yesterday, Xinhua News Agency also released news that the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council requires the prevention and control of new coronavirus infection and other key infectious diseases during the Spring Festival on New Year's Day in 2024.