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Tag: University of Cambridge

Topic: researchView all posts for the topic: research

Ultra-powered MRI scans show damage to brain’s ‘control centre’ is behind long-lasting Covid-19 symptoms

Published October 8, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: University of Cambridge
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Damage to the brainstem – the brain’s ‘control centre’ – is behind long-lasting physical and psychiatric effects of severe Covid-19 infection, a study suggests.

Using ultra-high-resolution scanners that can see the living brain in fine detail, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were able to observe the damaging effects Covid-19 can have on the brain.

The study team scanned the brains of 30 people who had been admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19 early in the pandemic, before vaccines were available. The researchers found that Covid-19 infection damages the region of the brainstem associated with breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety.

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Low iron levels resulting from infection could be key trigger of long COVIDA man sitting on a couch holding his head in his hands. Photo by Malachi Cowie / Unsplash.
Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Low iron levels resulting from infection could be key trigger of long COVID

Published March 4, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: University of Cambridge
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Problems with iron levels in the blood and the body’s ability to regulate this important nutrient as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a key trigger for long COVID, new research has discovered.

The discovery not only points to possible ways to prevent or treat the condition, but could help explain why symptoms similar to those of long COVID are also commonly seen in a number of post-viral conditions and chronic inflammation.

Although estimates are highly variable, as many as three in 10 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 could go on to develop long COVID, with symptoms including fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches and problems with memory and concentration (‘brain fog’). An estimated 1.9 million people in the UK alone were experiencing self-reported long COVID as of March 2023, according to the Office of National Statistics.

Continue readingLow iron levels resulting from infection could be key trigger of long COVID
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