Your Brain On COVID (1)

 

With cases of Omicron dwindling, hospitals emptying out, and deaths finally in retreat (on average, 2,184 died in the U.S. from COVID-19 each day during the last two weeks),  many Americans are hoping that “new normal” we’ve all been waiting for is at hand. State and city governments and school districts across the nation are relaxing COVID mandates and restrictions on gatherings and masking. In truth, the people were way ahead of their elected leaders; it’s hard to find many people keeping their distance and wearing face masks in public places anymore.

Let’s be honest — the last two years have been brutal for everyone on the planet. Globally, more than 5.8 million have died. In the U.S., it’s more than 935,000, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. It’s safe to say that coronavirus is not like influenza or even a bad cold. It’s much worse.

SARS-CoV-2 is an aggressive virus once it gains entry into the body. Primarily an upper respiratory pathogen, it causes significant and at times intense inflammation of the upper and lower airways and lungs. Unfortunately for many who experience the wrath of this novel virus, the damage doesn’t stop there; every organ is susceptible to damage.

A new study from the U.K. awaiting peer review describes the acute impact coronavirus can have on the brain, which often leads to long-term neurologic consequences:

Acute neurological sequelae are common, ranging from mild dizziness, headaches and anosmia [loss of smell] to severe encephalitis, stroke and delirium.

 

The study identifies virus-induced changes in the brain’s blood vessels — “abnormalities in cerebral microvascular function” — associated with long-term neurologic impairment, resulting in worsened cognitive function, mental health, functional recovery, and quality of life.

Another reason why everyone should get vaccinated and avoid getting infected with this particular virus is the prospect of suffering chronic long COVID symptoms. Damian McNamara discovers the cause of long COVID might be multifactorial:

A role for a virus “cryptic reservoir” that could reactivate at any time, “viral remnants” that trigger chronic inflammation, and action by “autoimmune antibodies” that cause ongoing symptoms are possibilities.

In fact, it’s likely that research will show long COVID is a condition with more than one cause […]

 

Since children often have no symptoms when they get infected with SARS-VoV-2, Robert Preidt says long COVID can be hard to diagnosis in children:

“Many children don’t have any symptoms when they have a COVID infection,” said Dr. Sindhu Mohandas, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and attending physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “So if the symptoms of long COVID appear later, it can be difficult to link them to the coronavirus.”

There is no simple nasal swab or other diagnostic test for long COVID. Instead, doctors have to assess a child’s pattern of symptoms and past exposure to the virus.

 

Impaired brain functioning is a feature and not a bug of long COVID in children:

Symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient, but in kids, the most common long COVID symptoms are unusual tiredness/fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating (brain fog).

Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sore throat, unexplained fevers, fast heartbeat, chest pain, loss of smell or taste, muscle or nerve pain, sleep disorders, diarrhea, vomiting or constipation, anxiety and depression.

 

A panel of clinicians, researchers, and patients recently collaborated to define long COVID in kids. Citing prior studies showing that two-thirds of children in the U.K. had symptoms of long COVID three months after their diagnosis (one-third had three or more symptoms), Molly Walker says a case definition of long COVID in children was needed:

Their definition of long COVID for patients ages 2 to 24 years, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, includes continuing or developing symptoms (at least one of which is physical) after testing positive for COVID that:

• Affects their physical, mental, or social well-being

• Interferes with some aspect of daily living, such as school, work, or relationships

• Persists for a minimum duration of 12 weeks after initial testing for COVID

“To the best of our knowledge this is the first research definition for Long COVID” among children and young people, Stephenson’s group wrote, noting that it is “comparable to the clinical case definition [of long COVID] in adults proposed by WHO.”

 

Long COVID. Another reason why parents can’t wait to get their kids immunized against this nasty virus.

Tomorrow, we will take a closer look at the damage SARS-CoV-2 can do to a person’s mental health.

 

(Google Images)

 

source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/02/22/your-brain-on-covid-1/