A new study, carried out by Unicamp, indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes brain damage in patients with depression or anxiety. COVID-19 was responsible for the deaths of more than 6 million people worldwide, becoming a pandemic caused by the coronavirus. It causes mild to severe respiratory symptoms, and can be fatal to unvaccinated patients. Brazilian research shows that COVID-19 can cause brain damage in patients with emotional disorders.
Relationship between COVID-19 and brain damage in patients with depression or anxiety
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The University of Campinas carried out a study that sought to analyze possible brain damage in patients with COVID-19. The study included 254 patients, with a mean age of 41 years, who developed mild COVID-19.
In addition, diagnoses of depression and anxiety were performed, in which 102 patients showed signs of the disorders, and 152 did not.
The preliminary study was released on February 20 by the American Academy of Neurology, in the USA. The full version of the article should arrive in April.
Assessment of the nervous system of patients
According to the analyses, patients with COVID-19 and depression or anxiety had reduced brain mass in the limbic area. This area is involved in memory and emotion processing and is involved with human mood.
Meanwhile, no change was noted in patients with COVID-19, but without depression or anxiety.
According to Drª Clarissa Yasuda, from Unicamp, “Our results suggest a severe pattern of changes in how the brain communicates, as well as in its structure, mainly in people with anxiety and depression with Covid syndrome long. The magnitude of these changes suggests that they can lead to problems with memory and thinking skills.”
The authors highlight the diagnosis of anxiety as a limitation of the study. This is because this classification was based on the patients' own reports, who answered the anxiety and depression questionnaires.
In this sense, longer follow-up studies are needed.