The exact cause of brain fog and other symptoms in long COVID is not yet clear, however: “We have to be cognizant of the fact that, potentially, anxiety and depression could be factors that are driving the fatigue and cognitive impairment,” Roy said. In all cases, the symptoms cannot be sufficiently explained by any alternative diagnosis, and they can present even if the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection was mild or asymptomatic.Īlthough a range of symptoms may present, “fatigue and cognitive impairment appear to be the most debilitating symptoms of long COVID,” Roy said. The National institute for Health and Care Excellence defines it as a constellation of symptoms that develop during or following SARS-CoV-2 infection persisting for 12 weeks or more the World Health Organization defines it as persistent symptoms occurring 3 months from onset in individuals with past confirmed or probable SARS-CoV-2 infection and persisting for at least 2 months and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines it as a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months after initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can appear weeks after infection. Current definitions of long COVID differ.
BRAIN FOG COVID FREE
Neurocognitive domains affected in brain fog include planning decision-making processing speed complex, divided, and selective sustained attention free and cued recall and working, procedural, and autobiographical memory.Ĭognitive dysfunction is a particular concern in long COVID, as many patients have reported symptoms such as brain fog weeks or months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, Roy explained. It is found in many conditions, including long COVID, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, pregnancy, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as in cancer treatments and certain medications. Tiamson-Kassab explained that “brain fog” is a nonmedical term used to describe what patients feel in any condition that causes confusion, memory loss, inability to concentrate or focus, and difficulty with word-finding or multitasking. Additional speakers included Jon Levenson, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Susan Abbey, MD, FRCPC, of the University of Toronto.
BRAIN FOG COVID PLUS
Durga Roy, MD, FACLP, of Johns Hopkins Bayview Neuropsychiatry Clinic and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine discussed symptoms and pathophysiology of brain fog in long COVID, plus some ways clinicians can manage patients with brain fog after long COVID. Maria Tiamson-Kassab, MD, of the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego introduced the presidential session, which was delivered on behalf of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
How can we “clear the fog” surrounding brain fog? Experts addressed the cognitive dysfunction, or “brain fog,” observed in patients with long COVID-as well as those with fibromyalgia, with chronic fatigue syndrome, and undergoing chemotherapy treatment-at the 2022 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting.
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