Long Covid and Impaired Cognition — More Evidence and More Work to Do, 2024, Al-Aly & Rosen

[rvallee]

Long Covid and Impaired Cognition — More Evidence and More Work to Do
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2400189

The cardinal features of long Covid include fatigue, dysautonomia (or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), postexertional malaise, and cognitive difficulties that are colloquially referred to as “brain fog.”
...
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic produced in its wake millions of persons affected with long Covid, some of whom have had or are currently having cognitive challenges. A deeper understanding of the biology of cognitive dysfunction after SARS-CoV-2 infection and how best to prevent and treat it are critical for addressing the needs of affected persons and preserving the cognitive health of populations.

 

[rvallee]

Posted because the NEJM is generally regarded as the best medical journal. It's disappointing to see the literal definition of ME/CFS without it being mentioned, and this being Dr Al-Aly suggests that the NEJM rejected it being mentioned, but obviously any progress in LC will benefit us so whatever.

 

[poetinsf]

A few of the putative mechanisms could've been eliminated rather quickly if they considered non-viral MECFS cases, or some intracranial hypertension cases mimicking MECFS exactly. It is the problem with solely focusing on viral cases, which long-COVID fortified.

I think it is the progress with MECFS that will benefit LC, more than the other way around. With MECFS willfully ignored in LC research, they'll end up repeating and reinventing what's been going on with MECFS for the past 40 years.