Mild COVID cases still lead to attention and memory issues - study
January 19, 2022
People with mild COVID-19 who do not suffer any other traditional "long COVID" symptoms can still exhibit deteriorated attention and memory six to nine months after infection, a study by Britain's Oxford University has found.
Cognitive issues impacting concentration levels, along with forgetfulness and fatigue, are features of long COVID - a condition that afflicts some after an initial bout of infection - but it has not been established how widespread issues with attention span might be following COVID-19 infection.
In the study, participants who had tested positive for COVID-19 previously but did not report other traditional long COVID symptoms were asked to complete exercises to test their memory and cognitive ability.
The researchers found that participants were significantly worse at recalling personal experiences, known as episodic memory, up to six months after infection.
They also had a bigger decline in their ability to sustain attention over time than uninfected individuals up to nine months after infection.
https://www.reuters.com/business/health ... 022-01-19/