LETTER | Covid-19 and brain fog

LETTER | As of Aug 22, a total of 1,278, 670 Covid-19 patients have recovered and returned to the community. 

Typically, patients recover from Covid after two to six weeks. However, some patients can have symptoms that last for weeks or even months after recovery. 

This persistent state of ill health for more than three months is known as Long Covid. Besides fatigue, one of the Long Covid symptoms that are frequently reported is brain fog.

What is brain fog? Brain fog is not a medical or scientific term; it is used by individuals to describe how they feel when they can’t concentrate or their thinking is sluggish or less alert. Symptoms of brain fog include memory problems, lack of mental clarity, poor concentration, confusion etc. 

These individuals may have recovered from the acute, life-threatening effects of Covid-19, but still don’t feel that their thinking and memory are back to normal. This condition may affect their work productivity especially those who are working in the education sector.

What causes brain fog after Covid-19? Researchers have identified several possible causes, including:

• Lack of oxygen caused by lung damage
• Inflammation affecting brain cells
• An autoimmune disorder that is causing the immune system to attack healthy cells in the body
• Lack of blood flow caused by swelling of the small blood vessels in the brain
• Invasion of infectious cells into the brain

How common is brain fog among the Covid survivors? In our preliminary findings on the survey conducted among Covid survivors who return to the community, more than 50 percent of our respondents reported the experience of brain fog up to six weeks, about 20 percent up to 12 weeks and another 10 percent up to six months. 

Currently, it’s not clear why some people develop brain fog and others don’t. Our findings showed that those with severe Covid-19 seem to be associated with brain fog more than patients with mild disease, similarly as reported elsewhere. More research is needed to understand this aspect.

What should these individuals do if they experience brain fog post-COVID-19 recovery? The first and most important thing to do is to make an appointment and consult with a doctor.

Besides medical treatment, individuals suffering from brain fog can practice a healthy lifestyle as following to improve their situation:

• Get plenty of sleep, get enough sleep. Getting good quality sleep can help our body repair and recover.
• Get regular exercise. Physical activity isn’t only beneficial to our heart and lungs, it’s also a great way to boost our brain function.
• Eat well. Try to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet to give our body the nourishment it needs to return to good health.
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol. Staying away from tobacco products and alcohol can help minimise inflammation in our brains.
• Keep in touch with family members and friends via social media. When time permits, participate in social activities. Not only do social activities benefit our moods, but they help our thinking and memory as well.
• Pursue other beneficial activities, including reading a novel, cognitively stimulating activities; listening to music; practicing mindfulness; and keeping a positive mental attitude.

Finally, avoid getting Covid again and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

In order to provide more representative findings on Long Covid, we would like to invite all Covid-19 survivors (regardless of them suffering Long Covid or not) to participate in our study, which is an online questionnaire that takes less than 10 minutes to complete. All data will be anonymous and kept confidential. 

DR MOY FOONG MING is a professor at Universiti Malaya’s Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.