United States: Breathing and fatigue problems associated with long Covid may be due to damage to the brainstem, according to a recent study.
More about the news
MRI scanners were used to examine patients who had been admitted to the hospital with Covid-19, which showed “long-lasting brain changes.” the reason was “likely caused by an immune response to the virus,” independent.co.uk reported.
In maximum cases, patients suffer from the virus, but get better in a couple of weeks. However, in a few cases, certain symptoms may last a little longer.
The symptoms include constant weakness, difficulty breathing, fatigue, headache, fainting episodes, chest pains, joint pains, and muscle weakness.
How was the study conducted?
The researchers obtained ultra-high-resolution scans from the living brain using 7-Tesla or 7T scanners, which are the most efficient.
According to Dr. Catarina Rua from the university’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences, “Things happening in and around the brainstem are vital for quality of life, but it had been impossible to scan inflammation of brainstem nuclei in living people because of their tiny size and difficult position,” independent.co.uk reported.
“Usually, scientists only get a good look at the brainstem during post-mortem examinations,” Rua added.
The team used neuroimaging to study 30 patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized with the viral illness during the pandemic.
They followed this up by comparing the scans of their participants with scans of 51 healthy people who had not been infected.
The study revealed that several areas of the brainstem – the part of the nervous system that carries signals between the brain and the spinal cord and controls many aspects of bodily function – were affected by changes consistent with neuroinflammation.
The abnormalities emerged weeks after patients were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and in parts of the brain that govern breathing.
What more are the experts stating?
The experts suggested that “lasting symptoms might be an indirect effect of brainstem inflammatory injury following COVID-19”.
These Changes were also “more evident in patients with longer hospital stays, higher Covid severity, more prominent inflammatory responses, and worse functional outcomes,” they continued.
According to Dr Rua, “The fact that we see abnormalities in the parts of the brain associated with breathing strongly suggests that long-lasting symptoms are an effect of inflammation in the brainstem following COVID-19 infection.”
“These effects are over and above the effects of age and gender and are more pronounced in those who had had severe Covid-19,” Dr. Rua added.
Moreover, as per Professor James Rowe, who co-led the study, “Mental health is intimately connected to brain health, and patients with the most marked immune response also showed higher levels of depression and anxiety.”
“Changes in the brainstem caused by Covid-19 infection could also lead to poor mental health outcomes because of the tight connection between physical and mental health,” independent.co.uk reported.