Covid-19 linked to higher risk of brain conditions up to two years on

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People who have had covid-19 are more likely to be diagnosed with a neurological or mental health condition up to two years later than people who have not had covid-19.

The medical records of more than one million people from around the world were analysed by Paul Harrison and his colleagues.

People who had other respiratory infections were compared to the participants. The researchers only included people who hadn't tested positive for the coronaviruses at any time in the past.

The team looked at the risk of developing neurological and mental health conditions in three age groups: children under 18, adults 18 to 64 and adults older than 65.

This is the first large-scale study to look for the effects of covid-19 on the brain and mental health up to two years after the event.

For patients, clinicians and public health authorities, this is very important because they want to know when you are no longer at increased risk of getting a psychiatric diagnosis.

Compared to other respiratory infections, the risk of a first-time diagnosis of depression or anxiety in the two months after being exposed to the coronaviruses was higher for adults aged 18 to 64. After being exposed to other respiratory diseases, the elevated risk for depression was the same as it was after being exposed to it. Over the course of two years, 18.2 percent of people with coronaviruses were diagnosed with depression. In the same period, more than 10% of those with covid-19 and more than 10% of those with other respiratory diseases were found to have anxiety disorders.

The risk of being diagnosed with brain fog and ecstasy in adults between the ages of 18 and 64 remained higher in people who had covid-19 for up to two years post-infection.

Within two years of covid-19, 6.4 per cent of participants were diagnosed with brain fog, compared with 5.5 per cent who experienced other respiratory infections. This is a significant difference according to the analysis.

In the two years after covid-19, 4.5 percent of people over the age of 65 were diagnosed with dementia, compared with 3.3 percent in the control group.

Children weren't found to have a higher risk of developing anxiety or depression after covid-19. They had a higher risk of having a seizure for up to two years after an illness, compared with those who had other respiratory illnesses. Only a small percentage of children with coronaviruses develop Seizures or Seizures after two years.

In the two years after covid-19, the age group had a three-fold increase in psychosis, compared with those who had other respiratory infections.

People who caught different coronaviruses were compared by the researchers. The rates of neurological and mental health diagnoses were the same regardless of the variant.

There are possible explanations for why covid-19 raises the risk of mental health conditions. He says that the immune system may cause brain damage if it tries to fight the coronaviruses.

It is possible that people with a higher risk of neurological conditions may be more likely to get covid-19 in the first place.

He says that covid may affect the brain through a number of mechanisms.

The journal's title is The Lancet Psychiatry.

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