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From the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing contingent of Covid-19 patients whose symptoms were initially mild began facing mysterious neurological problems, both short- and long-term. These include memory and sleep disturbances, dizziness, nerve pain, and what people often refer to as “brain fog.”
Recently published data from the Netherlands suggests that among people ages 25 and up, memory and concentration problems have risen by 24% since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to an ongoing large-scale research survey conducted by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Netherlands Institute for Health Care Research (NIVEL), there has been a 31% increase in primary care visits by adults ages 25 to 44 for “memory and concentration problems” in the past three years. Among the 45 to 74 year-old group, there was a 40% jump in visits to the doctor for these specific complaints. And, in the 75 and up age group, there was an 18% rise in physician visits.
The data was released as part of the latest quarterly research update (the seventh round of an ongoing study) from the GOR Network, which since 2021, in partnership with the RIVM and NIVEL, has been tracking the short- and long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. The quarterly survey is based on both questionnaires sent to patients and primary care physician records. Between March 13th and 27th of this year, 7,838 adults (25 and older) completed a questionnaire about their mental and physical health. Respondents included adults with and without a history of a confirmed coronavirus infection. Further, the GOR Network examined data gathered from 380 primary care physician clinics with approximately 1.6 million registered patients (9% of the Dutch population). Physicians recorded data on all symptoms and conditions for which patients presented at their practice. After being uploaded to a database, this information was analyzed by researchers at the GOR Network.
Under normal circumstances, people ages 75 and above would be most likely to go to their doctor with complaints about their memory or inability to concentrate. And adults in the age group of, say, 25 to 44, would be relatively unlikely to visit their primary care physician for such symptoms. What’s remarkable is that the findings showed the opposite of what one would have expected. While the number of physician visits for memory and concentration problems increased in all age groups among adults ages 25 years and up, the smallest increase was seen among adults 75 and older: 18%. And researchers observed no increase in visits among “young people,” or those under 25.
Professor Dückers, who leads the research on behalf of RIVM and NIVEL, says it’s a “worrying development … We still don’t know much about the long-term effects, but the picture is now emerging that the pandemic can lead to faster aging on a significant scale.”
The possible causes of the increase in memory and concentration problems are unclear. A plausible explanation is that the isolation brought about by Covid-19 restrictions contributed to accelerated cognitive decline among people who were already starting to have problems with memory and concentration.
Experts posit, however, that long Covid is likely to blame for the majority of sufferers. Since 2020, numerous investigations have shown that memory and concentration problems are common post-Covid symptoms. Other infectious diseases, such as flu, can also cause these symptoms. But studies have demonstrated that long-term memory and concentration problems are much more common after being infected with Covid-19 than following a bout with influenza. Specifically, people struggling with the effects of long Covid can exhibit problems with attention, memory, and executive function.
What is referred to in everyday parlance as “brain fog” includes cognitive problems such as remembering and concentrating, but also performing daily tasks. Working memory, which is a form of short-term memory, allows people to store and retrieve information while doing daily activities, such as problem solving, reading or having a conversation.
Last year, in a U.K.-based examination, researchers found that being infected with Covid negatively impacted working memory function, but only in adults ages 25 and up. The study findings indicate that memory function can recover over time after a Covid infection, but people with persistent symptoms may continue to have difficulty with their working memory.
In parallel with the GOR Network quarterly survey, the Dutch RIVM had been conducting a long-term investigation on long Covid. The RIVM collected data, both to characterize the syndrome and attempt to figure out what’s causing symptoms.
It’s evident from the work carried out by the RIVM from 2020 to 2022 that a large number of people who contract the coronavirus struggle for months with lingering Covid-19 symptoms which can be debilitating. These include memory and concentration issues, among a wide array of symptoms.
Last year, RIVM posted results derived from a health survey questionnaire taken by a total of 14,572 participants. 9,166 people took the survey shortly after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. The control group consisted of 5,406 people who tested negative for the coronavirus and applied to take part in the survey or were invited by letter from the general population. RIVM requested that all survey participants fill out questionnaires about their health at intervals of three months.
Fifteen percent of respondents had ongoing “brain fog” which consists of a mixture of memory and concentration problems. What’s striking is that the reported symptoms, including brain fog, are 1.5 times more common among those who had tested positive for Covid-19 than among those who have had other (non Covid-19) respiratory infections, such as influenza.
The most recent Dutch data from the GOR Network point to an alarming increase since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic of nearly a quarter in memory and concentration problems among people ages 25 and up. Brain fog is one of many long Covid symptoms. While there continue to challenges regarding how to precisely define long Covid and how to determine cause and effect, the syndrome isn’t going away. The Dutch Minister of Health Kuipers will soon announce whether (and how much) additional budget will be allocated to government-funded biomedical research into the causes of long Covid.