A long-term study finds the possibility that the effects of COVID-induced cognitive decline are permanent.

A study published in the Lancet and conducted in the United Kingdom produced one of the first evidence of the lasting effects of Covid-19, pointing to an increase in ageing that is comparable to ten years.

Through 12 cognitive tests measuring speed and accuracy, researchers noted that working memory, attention, reasoning, and motor controls declined significantly.

The study, conducted between July 2021 and June 2022 with two cohorts of 3335 individuals, found that individuals with positive Covid symptoms had “lower cognitive accuracy”.

The impairment widened when considering symptoms that persisted for more than 12 weeks.

Concerning results

Importantly, in the two years the study was conducted, cognitive deficits persisted throughout, showing no evidence of improvement. Previous studies have indicated that those who have long Covid at 12 months more than likely tend to have it at 18 months and beyond.

“The fact remains that two years on from their first infection, some people don’t feel fully recovered, and their lives continue to be impacted by the long-term effects of the coronavirus,” said Claire Steves, a professor of ageing and health at King’s College.

However, the study found no cognitive impairment for individuals who reported full recovery from coronavirus, even among those who had symptoms for more than three months, which the study’s lead author, Dr. Nathan Cheetham, described as “good news.”

The global status

Over three years after SARS-CoV-2 began its global spread, an estimated 65 million or more people still live with the often devastating effects of long Covid.

Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, shortness of breath, and muscle aches.

“As soon as it’s 12 months, it plateaus,” says another study author Tala Ballouz, an epidemiologist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. “You have a higher chance of recovery during the first year, and after one year, it really becomes more of a chronic condition.”

Reports earlier this year indicated that more than 75% of British people who have suffered persistent ill health following a Covid-19 infection have had to cut back or change their work.

What causes long Covid?

Different explanations have been at play on why Long Covid persists. One camp says that the immune response which into overdrive when the sickness first appears may lead to inflammation and damage throughout the body.

Another camp guesses that the immune system never fully shuts down after the initial infection and Long Covid is a symptom to its work .

A meta-analysis published in March identified a host of risk factors for developing the condition: being female, of older age, having a high body mass index, having Type 2 diabetes, and smoking.

But the most significant risk was associated with certain pre-existing diseases, such as asthma and diabetes, and with hospitalisation for Covid-19.

Treatment and future

There are no know treatments for Long Covid once the patient develops it.

Vaccines reportedly decrease but not eliminate the chance of developing Long Covid. A none peer-reviewed study of 240,000 US patients found that those who had received even one dose of a Covid vaccine before their infections were seven to 10 times less likely than unvaccinated patients to report symptoms.

In contrast, another non-peer-reviewed study of veterans found the difference to be only 13 percent.

Additionally, some drugs, including Metformin, Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir have shown limited evidence to be able to prevent it as well.