Long COVID

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Links to this note

• List of Studies About Long COVID

  A Twitter thread of findings from studies about Long COVID and its association with neurological symptoms.

• Vaccinated People Have a 50% Lower Risk of Developing Long COVID

  According to recent studies in the UK, Israel, and US, those who are vaccinated have, on average, a 50% lower risk of developing long COVID.

• The Further from the Self, the Less Real it Feels

  The realest thing to anyone is themselves. The further from the self the less real things feel. For example, we know about the stars and distant galaxies but the fly buzzing our ear is more important and “real” as to steal our attention. While we have the power to imagine great things and empathize, direct experience is more important because it involves the “I”. Our wants, needs, and desires exceed the realness of all else.

• 65 Million People Have Long COVID

  A meta study found that 65 million people around the world have Long COVID. The chances of developing long COVID is 10-30% of non-hospitalized cases, 50-70% of hospitalized cases, and 10-12% of vaccinated cases. A significant number of people with long COVID are unable to return to work which contributes to labor shortages.

• COVID-19 Infection Reduces Grey Matter Thickness in Parts of the Brain

  A preliminary study of brain imaging taken of before COVID-19 infection and after showed a reduced amount of gray matter thickness in the frontal and temporal lobes. This seems to explain some of the symptoms like loss of smell and taste (associated with the olfactory bulb) as well as other side effects like memory loss.

• 14% of US Adults Have Had Long Covid

  A Household Pulse Survey (HPS) found that more than 14% of US adults have or had Long COVID. Across all age groups, the 40-49 year old had the highest percentage at 18.8%. This could indicate a staggeringly large number of people will have lasting health issues due to COVID-19 and was a key contributer to the labor shortages in 2022.

• COVID-19 Can Cause Brain Damage and Cause Neurological Symptoms

  A paper published in Nature looked at brain autopsies of people that died from COVID-19. Brain endothelial cells were found to be infected and there was an increase in string vessels (lost capillaries).

• IQ Loss from COVID-19 Infection

  A study of over 100,000 people in England found that found that cognitive deficits from COVID-19 infection (memory, reasoning and executive function) were similar between those whose symptoms resolved in less than 4 weeks and 12 weeks but were larger in those who had unresolved persistent symptoms (long COVID).

• Cognitive Slowing in People Diagnosed With Long Covid

  A study of 270 patients diagnosed with Long COVID found that 53% of patients had response times that were 2 standard deviations slower than the control mean after controlling for age-related decline and comorbidities. Cognitive slowing was also correlated with poor performance in sustained attention.

• Half of COVID-19 Survivors Had Lingering Symptoms After 1 Year

  A study in China of COVID-19 survivors (median age 59) who were hospitalized found that half had a persisting symptom one year later—Long COVID. That includes shortness of breath, fatigue, and mental health issues such as anxiety depression. It also found a higher prevalence of problems with mobility and pain and discomfort than the control group.