Research: Covid-19 affects cognitive function, reduces IQ

The study was carried out by a team of scientists at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London in the UK on 46 people with Covid-19 and treated in hospital. Research published in the journal eClinicalMedicine recently.

Nurses take care of Covid-19 patients in Milton Keynes, UK Reuters

Sputnik on May 5 said that the participants were tested in detail about their cognitive abilities, measuring many aspects of their neurological function about 6 months after contracting Covid-19.

The authors estimate the level of cognitive influence of patients is equivalent to the average cognitive decline as a person ages 20 years, from 50 to 70 years old and is equivalent to a loss of 10 IQ points (intelligence quotient).

Professor David Menon of Cambridge University’s Department of Anesthesiology, who led the study, said cognitive impairment is a common symptom of neurological disorders including: dementia and aging, but the cognitive decline caused by Covid-19 is different from other causes.

The patient’s cognitive scores then gradually improve, but may not fully recover, the researchers say. “We have been following some patients for up to 10 months after infection so we can see very slow improvement. While this doesn’t mean much in terms of numbers, it’s at least moving in the right direction. However, it is very likely that some of these patients will never fully recover,” Menon said.