Scientists at the University of Dartmouth, located in New Hampshire, in the United States, released a new unusual symptom of Covid-19, which was published in the scientific journal Cortex. The record shocked the researchers, mainly because it is something that is very different from the already known symptoms of the disease.
A 28-year-old woman contracted the virus in March 2020 and showed typical symptoms of the disease, such as fever, cough, diarrhea and shortness of breath. However, after a few weeks, Annie developed a new symptom called prosopagnosia, or inability to recognize faces.
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New symptom of covid-19 is very unusual
Prosopagnosia affects about 2% of the world's population and is a neurological condition that prevents the identification of faces of known people. This condition is already diagnosed in several celebrities, such as Brad Pitt, Stephen Fry and Steve Wozniak, and is known in the medical literature. However, what surprises doctors is that it has been identified as a new symptom of Covid-19.
One of the patients in the study, named Annie, reported feeling the severity of the disease at a party when she couldn't recognize her own father. She told doctors that her father's voice sounded like it came from a stranger's face. Further tests indicated that Annie also had difficulty locating familiar locations.
The scientist leading the research at the University of Dartmouth emphasized that the combination of prosopagnosia and navigation deficit that the patient presented is something that called attention to her. That's because both problems often appear together due to damage caused by brain injuries or abnormal development, which makes it even more puzzling that they were observed as symptoms of Covid-19.
This is the first case of prosopagnosia related to covid-19, but researchers believe that other cases may have occurred in patients with the disease.
They also noted that the disease caused by the new coronavirus may be associated with an increase in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ischemic strokes.
prolonged symptoms
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 10% and 20% of those infected with covid-19 had prolonged symptoms of the disease, which is associated with the development of neurological problems and disorders mental.
Experts warn that Annie's case suggests there could be many more people with problems after contamination by the virus, which demands greater attention and care in relation to the symptoms of Covid-19.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
