The exact nature of long COVID is still coming to light, but we just got some of the best evidence yet that this debilitating condition stems from a brain injury.

Using high-resolution scanners, researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford have shown microscopic, structural abnormalities in the brainstems of those recovering from COVID-19.

Signs of brain inflammation were present up to 18 months after first contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"We show that the brainstem is a site of vulnerability to long-term effects of COVID-19, with persistent changes evident in the months after hospitalization," the authors of the study conclude.

https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae215

#health #science #biology #news @science@lemmy.world @science@beehaw.org @news@lemmy.world @health@lemmy.world @usnews@beehaw.org

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago (2 children)

First lead, now COVID. Pretty soon there will be nothing left in the Conservative's head except mush 😢

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 6 points 6 days ago

consults voting results

Some say this may have already happened.

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works -2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Not like COVID picked and chose. Plenty of people on both sides are suffering from long cov.

[–] argarath@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

But one side was trying their hardest to get COVID by not using masks or trying to use fake masks that don't actually protect, so the result is that no, one side (the conservative/republican side) had more cases of COVID-19 and thus has more cases of long COVID

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

I'm not debating that. My point is that statement's pretty offensive to those who did take precautions but caught covid anyway.

[–] houstoneulers@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

So, question, will this affect covid deniers since they were already pretty dull to start?

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 152 points 1 week ago (14 children)

Better not get vaccinated, because the vaccine kills you and covid is just another harmless flu anyway… oh wait.

Seriously though, antivaxxers already have some sort of psychological issues going on, so adding a literal brain injury to the list might not even make a big difference at that point.

[–] flicker@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I went looking for data, because my knee-jerk was to assume people who get vaccinated are more likely to live, and thus more likely to get long covid.

But here's what I found. The researchers found that the rate of new Long COVID cases declined with each variant, and that the numbers of cases were significantly lower in the vaccinated cohorts.

I'm just adding to the discourse.

load more comments (3 replies)

[–] Wiz@midwest.social 35 points 1 week ago (6 children)

COVID makes you dumber, but what happens if you start out dumb?

[–] ZeffSyde@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago

The current administration awards you a place in office.

load more comments (5 replies)

load more comments (12 replies)

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 121 points 1 week ago (23 children)

I think it’s important for people to realize:

A very bad cold or flu can totally damage your body and is how lots of older folks go unfortunately.

Covid without a vaccine would have been a terrible sickness.

What bugs me the most is so many people who don’t understand logical fallacies kept saying just wait a year or two and you’ll see mass deaths and weakened immunity… and they are conveniently silent now, probably blaming fires on DEI or something stupid like that.

[–] teawrecks@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago

I got it before the pandemic shut down. in February of 2020. I was working in a high contact environment with high risk. I ended up sick, then sicker, then my whole team was sick, and out of work. we were told to do training as wfh and we'd be back when we felt better. it felt like that wasn't coming. I got sicker and bedridden, my dr prescribed a steroid inhaler and wasn't sure what it was. then sent out some labs and said 'inconclusive'. i stayed sick. moving from the bed into the attached bathroom and back was a 4 steo with breaks sitting on the floor process. i lost my job. i went on unemployment. it was another half of a month before I went back to the doctor. Covid. and they had no options for me but to wait it out. it wasnt bad enough.

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 37 points 1 week ago (27 children)

These people are addicted to this feeling that they have discovered some secret that destroys conventional wisdom and sheds a whole new light on everything. They are addicted to this feeling that they’ve found a big lie everyone’s swallowed and they’re going to spit it out.

Every part of their worldview has to have that quality or they can’t hold onto it with their brains. There’s a great deal of straightforward, plain-as-day information that’s totally missing from their worldview because it doesn’t contain the drug their brain is addicted to.

load more comments (27 replies)

load more comments (21 replies)

[–] jawa21@lemmy.sdf.org 93 points 1 week ago (20 children)

Look, I know this isn't exactly the most appropriate community to post a comment like this. I do however need to say as someone that has had debilitating brain fog for a couple of years thanks to covid: "...fuck."

load more comments (20 replies)

[–] TheOctonaut@mander.xyz 55 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well yeah, that's where the chip goes

[–] thefartographer@lemm.ee 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I prefer consuming chips orally. Potato or paint, I'm easy.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] MooseTheDog@lemmy.world 43 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I knew a conservotard type. He never ventured out from his rural area so he never had to change his mind. He didn't believe in COVID of course, until he lost all taste of food. I genuinely feel bad for the guy. He said everything smelled or tasted like shit. It was 3 months before he started tasting again. After that I laughed at every anti-COVID nut in my life pretty openly.

[–] Scribbd@feddit.nl 3 points 6 days ago

First time seeing the term 'conservotard'. It definitely has a Spanish ring to it.

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] BJHanssen@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I believe the signs have always pointed to it being a one-two punch of lingering inflammation and actual lasting physical damage to the blood vessels, including in the brain. The fatigue symptoms dissipated for me after about a year, but the inability to focus and the shite memory has not and likely will not go away. Also my muscles got fucked by the rhabdo and my EDS got much worse, but hey…

Every new piece of scholarly evidence is good to have.

load more comments (1 replies)

load more comments