Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Aug 21, 2024 22:28:41 GMT
InnovationRx: COVID May Be Causing Mental Illness—And Rewiring Our Brains - Published Aug 21, 2024
COVID-19 cases are currently surging in the United States, with at least 25 states seeing significant upticks in infections. Levels of the virus in wastewater are either “very high” or “high” in 46 states currently, according to CDC data. If the numbers continue, the country may be facing one of the biggest COVID infection waves since 2020. Although hospitalizations and deaths aren’t currently at the same levels as during previous surges in 2020 and 2021, those numbers are also increasing. (Though death rates have declined thanks to vaccines and better treatments, COVID remained one of the top ten causes of death in the United States last year).
But as two new studies published in the past week show, severe COVID isn’t the only risk faced by those with the disease. New findings in JAMA Psychiatry find that levels of mental illness such as depression, anxiety and self-harm are elevated after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Additionally, a new study published in Scientific Reports found that patients who lost their sense of smell after a COVID infection saw long-term structural changes to their brains as well as a tendency to more impulsive behaviors.
If you want to mitigate your risk of these mental side effects from COVID infections, one key strategy is to make sure you are up to date on your vaccinations. The study in JAMA Psychiatry found that patients who were vaccinated prior to their COVID infection had fewer mental health issues. Other studies suggest that vaccination may help reduce the risk of losing your sense of smell, though it’s not yet clear how much that risk is mitigated. The CDC and FDA recently approved and recommended updated vaccines to protect from the most recent COVID variants, which should be available in the coming weeks.
More non-covid reports follow in linked article.
COVID-19 cases are currently surging in the United States, with at least 25 states seeing significant upticks in infections. Levels of the virus in wastewater are either “very high” or “high” in 46 states currently, according to CDC data. If the numbers continue, the country may be facing one of the biggest COVID infection waves since 2020. Although hospitalizations and deaths aren’t currently at the same levels as during previous surges in 2020 and 2021, those numbers are also increasing. (Though death rates have declined thanks to vaccines and better treatments, COVID remained one of the top ten causes of death in the United States last year).
But as two new studies published in the past week show, severe COVID isn’t the only risk faced by those with the disease. New findings in JAMA Psychiatry find that levels of mental illness such as depression, anxiety and self-harm are elevated after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Additionally, a new study published in Scientific Reports found that patients who lost their sense of smell after a COVID infection saw long-term structural changes to their brains as well as a tendency to more impulsive behaviors.
If you want to mitigate your risk of these mental side effects from COVID infections, one key strategy is to make sure you are up to date on your vaccinations. The study in JAMA Psychiatry found that patients who were vaccinated prior to their COVID infection had fewer mental health issues. Other studies suggest that vaccination may help reduce the risk of losing your sense of smell, though it’s not yet clear how much that risk is mitigated. The CDC and FDA recently approved and recommended updated vaccines to protect from the most recent COVID variants, which should be available in the coming weeks.
More non-covid reports follow in linked article.