Coronavirus: Study finds COVID-19 could speed up ageing by 20 years; here's how

Although the novel coronavirus is a respiratory illness, infected patients are said to experience an array of effects on the brain, leading to symptoms such as brain fog, confusion, loss of smell and taste along with the risk of stroke.

Furthermore, several studies have claimed that the SARs-CoV-2 virus could lead to accelerated ageing.

While researchers have suggested some patients' brains may age 10 years, a recent study published in the journal of clinical medicine has found lasting mental impacts of severe COVID-19 could be equivalent to 20 years of ageing.

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The study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London involved 46 participants who have been treated for COVID-19 at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

The researchers found that the patients suffered from cognitive impairment and loss similar to what is usually seen in people aged 50 to 70, or when losing 10 IQ points.

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Additionally, the scientists found that these effects existed more than six months after severe illness and that the recovery was very gradual.

Professor Adam Hampshire of Imperial College London, and the study author said: “Tens of thousands of people have been through intensive care with COVID-19 in England alone and many more will have been very sick, but not admitted to hospital. This means there are a large number of people out there still experiencing problems with cognition many months later. We urgently need to look at what can be done to help these people.”

Growing evidence suggests COVID-19 can affect the brain, leading to lasting cognitive and mental health problems. Symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety and PTSD have been reported by patients months after their recovery.

According to the recent study, recovered COVID patients who experienced severe illness suffered from cognitive loss.

Professor David Menon, another study author said, " “Cognitive impairment is common to a wide range of neurological disorders, including dementia, and even routine ageing."

“But the patterns we saw – the cognitive ‘fingerprint’ of Covid-19 – were distinct from all of these," he adds.

Patients involved in the study took brain tests an average of six months after their illness using the Cognitron platform. This measured their mental abilities including memory, attention and reasoning. The results were then compared with healthy controls.

As per the findings of the study, COVID survivors were less accurate and had slower response times than people who were healthy and had not fallen sick.

It was found that the impact was more severe in people who had required mechanical ventilation.

Professor Menon said, “We followed some patients up as late as ten months after their acute infection, so we're able to see a very slow improvement."

“While this was not statistically significant, it is at least heading in the right direction, but it is very possible that some of these individuals will never fully recover," he added.

The researchers also noted that mild COVID patients may also have signs of mild impairment, although the study only looked at hospitalised patients.