A severe case of Covid-19 could lead to a loss of mental acuity equivalent to 20 years of aging or a loss of ten intelligence points, a study shows.
The researchers studied 46 people, with an average age of 51, who were cared for at Adenbrook Hospital in Cambridge after being infected with the coronavirus. Sixteen were ill enough to be placed on mechanical ventilation.
The team conducted tests that measured abilities such as thinking and problem solving, and the results showed that Covid-19 was associated with a specific “fingerprint” of cognitive impairment that lasted for months.
Researchers estimate that the average rate of cognitive loss is similar to that between the ages of 50 and 70.
Professor Adam Hampshire of the Department of Brain
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