Key Points
- Experts say COVID or brain fog is common among people experiencing long COVID
- This condition is usually temporary and resolves on its own
- Consult with your GP, if it persists for more than eight weeks
- Experts say exercising and engaging in cognitive activities like solving puzzles and playing video games could help in faster recovery
Sydney-based project manager Dianne Watts lost the spelling of a few words and couldn't remember some business processes after she returned to work from COVID.
"I needed someone to sit with me and take me through the processes again," Ms Watts tells SBS.
Ms Watts contracted coronavirus in June and believes she might have developed long COVID that usually occurs within three months of infection.
NSW Health says there is no test for long COVID. However, diagnosing it means doctors must rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.
Common long COVID or post COVID conditions include brain fog, memory, concentration, sleep problems, difficulty speaking, depression or anxiety, and fatigue.
Other conditions are shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, a persistent cough, chest pain, muscle aches, loss of smell or taste and fever.
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What is COVID fog?
"COVID fog" is not a medical term but is generally used to describe cognitive issues, such as difficulty thinking, concentrating, and remembering following a COVID infection.
The Department of Health and Aged Care does not have statistics for COVID fog cases in Australia.
But according to Associate Professor and Director of the long COVID-19 Clinic at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney Steven Faux, it is common among people experiencing long COVID.
About 10 to 25 per cent of patients who come into the clinic report COVID fog. That number is higher if we question the patient about cognitive difficulty
Diagnosis of COVID fog
Sydney-based physician-scientist and academic neurologist Dr Sonu Bhaskar says diagnosing COVID fog can be challenging, as it's "an individual's experience of feeling fuzzy or having difficulty concentrating after recovering from COVID-19".
"A proportion of COVID-19 survivors may experience prolonged neurological and cognitive problems," says Dr Bhaskar.
Prof Faux says diagnosing COVID fog cannot be limited to one factor as anxiety and fatigue also affect cognitive thinking.
"We must look at the context when dealing with COVID fog," he says.
Prof Faux believes people in high-demanding jobs, such as legal and healthcare sectors, and those required to integrate a lot of information seemed to have been affected more by the condition.
"COVID fog can be considered severe for those professions where a minor loss in concentration cannot be tolerated."
What to do if you have COVID fog
In most cases, COVID fog is temporary and resolves on its own.
"Firstly, don't panic. It's unlikely to be permanent. Give yourself time," assures Prof Faux.
Addressing related issues such as anxiety or depression can help improve COVID fog.
Prof. Faux advises people to speak with their healthcare provider or GP if they continue to experience symptoms eight weeks after their infections.
Most people can manage it at home by pacing themselves. But don't over-exercise too. Just slow down and do some gentle exercises.
Dr Bhaskar adds that engaging in tasks involving cognitive activities like playing video games could help too.
Ms Watts did not see a GP for her brain fog but monitored her symptoms to ensure she was improving.
"I slowly returned to being active within my limits and always ate well," she says.
"Then, four weeks after the infection, the brain fog suddenly cleared up," Ms Watts recalls.
Experts believe people high-demanding jobs could be more affected by COVID fog. Credit: Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images
Further research needed
More research is needed to measure the precise impact of COVID-19 on the various body systems, including the neurological system.
But a recent study published in the suggests some people still face higher risks for neurological and psychiatric conditions, including brain fog, dementia, and psychosis, even two years after their COVID-19 infection.
Further, La Trobe University-led research published in showed neurological symptoms seen post-COVID infections were similar to those seen in Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Lead researcher Dr Nick Reynolds, however, tells SBS that drugs developed to treat Alzheimer's and dementia could be re-purposed to treat neurological symptoms following COVID infections in the future.
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