One in three COVID-19 survivors in a study of more than 230,000 mostly American patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, suggesting the pandemic could lead to a wave of mental and neurological problems, scientists said on Tuesday, April 6.
Post-COVID cases of stroke, dementia, and other neurological disorders were rarer, the researchers said, but were still significant, especially in those who had severe COVID-19. The study was not able to determine the biological or psychological mechanisms involved, he said, but urgent research is needed to identify these"with a view to preventing or treating them."
The disorders were significantly more common in COVID-19 patients than in comparison groups of people who recovered from flu or other respiratory infections over the same time period, the scientists said, suggesting COVID-19 had a specific impact.