#coronavirus#memory#neuro

COVID-19

Memory Loss as a Symptom

TL;DR: COVID-19 and Memory

While COVID-19 shares many of the same symptoms as a cold or the flu, it can occasionally lead to more severe and concerning symptoms.

Beyond just coughs, COVID-19 can also cause loss of smell, loss of memory, and even stroke.

Patients have reported feeling like they have dementia:

"I leave the room and I can’t remember what the patient just said…It scares me to think I’m working, I feel like I have dementia"

Lisa Mizelle, Nurse Practitioner & COVID-19 Patient

Some patients, like Diego Ruspini, find themselves forgetting things that they should be remembering.

"I’d go into a room and I didn't remember why I was there"

Diego Ruspini, COVID-19 Patient

Statistics on COVID-19 Memory Loss

While research on this phenomenon is still in early stages, doctors are getting a better idea about the extent of memory loss as a symptom of COVID-19.

In one study of 120 patients who were recently discharged from the hospital, researchers found that memory loss was the third most common symptom after 110 days.

After 110 days post-admission to the hospital:

Fatigue

55%

Shortness of Breath

42%

Loss of Memory

34%

100

Garrigues, 2020. J Infect.

Among 120 patients who were discharged from the hospital, 55% had fatigue still after 110 days. 42% had shortness of breath. 34% still had loss of memory.

"The present study shows that most patients requiring hospitalization for COVID-19 still have persistent symptoms, even 110 days after being discharged, especially fatigue and dyspnoea. These results highlight the need for a long-term follow-up of those patients and rehabilitation programs."

Post-discharge persistent symptoms and health-related quality of life after hospitalization for COVID-19

Around half of the patients still experienced fatigue that they believed to be related to COVID-19 over 100 days after leaving the hospital. About a third still experienced memory loss.

Mechanism: COVID-19 Memory Loss

Doctors believe that one potential mechanism behind this may be an infection of cells in the brain by COVID-19. COVID-19 viruses may be able to enter the brain through the nose and cause inflammation that damages brain cells.

This isn’t necessarily permanent for everybody, but it can take some time to recover.

1. Enters Through Nose

COVID-19 likely first enters through your nose, which connects to the brain

2. Cells Infected

It then infects cells in the brain, though not necessarily neurons.

3. Inflammation

This infection then leads to inflammation from your own immune system.

3. Neuron Damage

Inflammation then damages your neurons, causing symptoms.

Scientists believe that COVID-19 likely first enters the brain through the nose. It then infects cells in the brain, though not necessarily neurons. This infection then leads to inflammation from your own immune system. Inflammation then damages your neurons, causing symptoms.

Stroke & Memory Loss with COVID-19

If you find yourself with memory loss, experts recommend that you see your doctor immediately. While COVID-19 memory loss doesn’t necessarily have long-term implications, it could be the sign of something more dangerous.

In one case below, a patient who had memory loss, loss of smell, and fatigue found herself with sudden weakness two months later. She went to the hospital where doctors realize that she had actually had a chronic stroke related to her COVID-19 infection. The memory loss that she thought was COVID-19 related was actually a symptom of a chronic ischemic stroke.

PresentationA 59 year old woman with a 2-month history of memory loss, loss of smell, and fatigue presents with right-sided weakness and worsening cognitive impairment.

DiagnosisDoctors diagnosed her with chronic ischemic stroke from COVID-19 manifesting as memory impairment.

MRI

MRI showing evidence of stroke (red arrow).

Garg, 2020 Cureus

A 59-year-old woman with a 2-month history of memory loss, loss of smell, and fatigue presents with right-sided weakness and worsening cognitive impairment. Doctors diagnosed her with chronic ischemic stroke from COVID-19 manifesting as memory impairment.

"This report highlights a unique case of late-onset stroke symptoms related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patient had a chronic ischemic stroke in the setting of a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection manifesting as memory impairment. The acute neurological deficits two months after infection may be related to stroke recrudescence during the recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection."

Garg, 2020 Cureus