Lasting brain impacts of severe COVID-19 equivalent to 20 years of ageing

The lasting mental impacts of severe COVID-19 on areas like memory, attention, or problem solving, may be equivalent to 20 years of ageing. These are the findings of a new study, led by a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, which suggest that cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent to losing 10 IQ points. The research, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, indicates the effects are still detectable more than six months after acute illness and that any recovery is at best gradual. According to the researchers, this is the first time that such rigorous assessment and comparison has been carried out in relation to the after-effects of severe COVID-19.