Photo: Andrea Piacquadio (Pexels)
Very little is said about a sequel suffered by people who have suffered from this virus, since a part of the population has mental disorders of concentration, attention and memory.
By: Laura Puentes
The beginning of 2022 brought with it a significant increase in Covid-19 infections not only in Mexico but in much of the world, although in our country most people are already vaccinated, you cannot lower your guard.
However, very little is said about a sequel suffered by people who have suffered from this virus, since a part of the population has mental disorders of concentration, attention and memory.
In the Mexican Republic, two teams have already begun to carry out research on this subject, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the National Institute of Psychiatry, which analyze phenomena, causes and treatments on this sequela.
First: don’t be scared
If after having contracted Covid-19 it is difficult for you to concentrate, remember things, forget words, confuse concepts and dates, do not panic, this is completely normal. According to specialists, these symptoms are associated with the phenomenon known as brain fog (mental fog) or long COVID (prolonged COVID).
In other countries such as the United States and Europe, this phenomenon has begun to be investigated, and recently in Mexico, researchers have also paid special attention to this issue.
The UNAM research team, called NeuroCov2, is made up of Dr. Ricardo Hernández , a pharmaceutical chemist from the National School of Biological Sciences of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Allan Irasek Rico Becerra and Regina Andrea Mejía Ortiz, both graduates of the UNAM. degree in Neuroscience from UNAM.
They are in charge of making known the possible causes that trigger this problem in people who had SARS-Cov-2.
Oxygen, a key factor
As shared by the researcher Allan Rico for the Lado B portal, cognitive impairments can be caused by a lack of oxygen in the brain, one of the damages caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In addition, he pointed out that the brain consumes about 20 percent of the oxygen that enters the body, so when there are oxygenation problems due to lung failure, such as when you have Covid-19, it is possible that the lack of adequate oxygenation (hypoxia) can affect multiple brain cells.
The researchers emphasized that these sequelae are not only caused by Covid-19, but that there are other diseases or damages that cause the so-called mental fog , because it can also be suffered by those who do not breathe well when sleeping or people who suffer head trauma.
brain exercises
Before giving a diagnosis, the researchers ask the population to go to a specialist in clinical neuropsychology, or to a neurorehabilitation center.
The ideal is to carry out a complete evaluation and to know which are the affected areas, as well as what cognitive problems the patient is presenting, knowing this information , it will be possible to design a specific rehabilitation therapy.
Likewise, it is suggested that general recommendations be applied to improve memory, which are a balanced diet, aerobic exercise and some brain gymnastics exercises (such as memory games), however, the most important thing is to know the diagnosis of an expert before what other thing.
It is very important that if you or someone you know suffers from these types of symptoms, go to a specialist and not minimize the mental damage that is being suffered. Remember that mental health is also important.
Sources:
Mental fog, a COVID sequel that is little talked about (ladobe.com.mx)
