CORONAVIRUS

Severe Covid can age brain by 20 years

Cognitive harm often lasts for months after hospital, study finds
Scientists found that persistent cognitive symptoms of the virus can be equivalent to losing ten IQ points
Scientists found that persistent cognitive symptoms of the virus can be equivalent to losing ten IQ points
JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES

A severe case of Covid-19 can result in a loss of mental sharpness equivalent to ageing 20 years or losing ten IQ points, a study suggests.

Researchers looked at 46 people, with an average age of 51, who received care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge after contracting coronavirus. Sixteen were ill enough to be placed on mechanical ventilation.

The team carried out tests that measured abilities such as reasoning and problem solving, with the results suggesting that Covid-19 was linked to a particular “fingerprint” of cognitive harm that lasts for months.

The researchers estimate that, on average, the magnitude of cognitive loss was similar to that sustained between the ages of 50 and 70 years old.

Professor Adam Hampshire from the department of brain