Oxford University Research Team Analyzes Confirmed Cases from 2020 to 2022
A research team from the University of Oxford in the UK revealed that COVID-19 survivors had a higher risk of developing mental disorders such as dementia and brain fog for two years after infection compared to patients with other respiratory diseases. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A study has found that COVID-19 patients have an increased risk of developing conditions such as dementia, mental disorders, and brain fog within two years.
On the 18th (local time), according to Politico and others in the United States, a research team from the University of Oxford in the UK submitted a paper containing these findings to The Lancet Psychiatry.
The research team compared and analyzed electronic health records of 1.25 million confirmed COVID-19 patients reported from January 2020 to April of this year in countries including the United States, the UK, Spain, India, and Taiwan, with a control group of the same number of patients who had respiratory infections. They analyzed 14 neurological and psychiatric disorders including dementia, mental disorders, brain fog, mood disorders, insomnia, and epilepsy.
According to the report, COVID-19 survivors had a higher risk of developing dementia, brain fog, and other mental disorders within two years after infection compared to patients with other respiratory diseases. For some conditions such as anxiety and depression, the incidence rate dropped to a level similar to that of other respiratory disease patients after two months post-infection. However, in the case of brain fog, COVID-19 survivors aged 18 to 64 showed a 16% higher incidence rate than those with other respiratory diseases.
The research team stated, "The Omicron subvariant, which has now become the dominant strain worldwide, will pose long-term health risks to infected individuals just like previous dominant strains."
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