The long COVID tsunami – what are the neurological implications?

Part 1: The Pandemic Upon the Pandemic 

COVID-19 may be primarily a respiratory-related illness, but its aftermath and health consequences can extend well beyond the body’s lungs and airways. 

Since the pandemic’s onset, it has become clear to neurologists that even the brain can be profoundly impacted. The neurological presentations being observed in patients are vast and varied, and may include among other symptoms:
 
Confusion
Excessive fatigue
Intractable insomnia
Poor cognitive function/ Brain fog 
Intense headaches and neuropathic pain
Seizures and stroke
Vision changes 
New onset or worsening autoimmune disease
Dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus
Vision changes, loss of taste and/or sense of smell
Dysautonomia (dysfunction of the nerves that regulate nonvoluntary body functions) and more.  
POTS 
Tremor and other movement abnormalities 
 
As noted in a recent article, a series of studies document long term brain-impairment  in as many as one quarter of all those infected regardless of the severity of the initial disease; in fact a comprehensive study out of the United Kingdom showed seven out of ten patients diagnosed with long COVID had cognitive problems. 
 
With nearly a million reported cases to the CDC  to date and given many infections are not reported,  blood antibody tests suggest that 187 million Americans had gotten the virus by February 2022.  The numbers of cases keep rising despite nearly 2 billion vaccinations given around the world  
 
Long COVID: the pandemic upon the pandemic.
 
Extended COVID-19 symptomatology over weeks to months has been termed long COVID or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome or PASC (post-acute sequelae of COVID).    
 
Long COVID-type symptoms may also develop in some individuals as a side effect of the COVID vaccines.  At the time of this writing, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reflects nearly 1.4 million reports of adverse events following COVID-19 vaccines. 
 
The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care tracking study showed “fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported”. Spiro Pantazatos showed that VAERS deaths are underreported by a factor of twenty, Jessica Rose showed that the number of deaths is underreported by a factor of 31
 
In this and all my writings, when I talk about long COVID or PASC, I am also including those who have had an injury from one of the COVID vaccinations. 
 
As we go through this blog series, we will explore why the Brain is being battered in Long Covid  
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Learn more about long COVID in our blog library at: 
https://www.suzannegazdamd.com/blog---long-covid
 
See also:
https://www.suzannegazdamd.com/blog---long-covid/long-covid-and-the-brain-what-happens-when-the-storm-passes
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READ MORE—PART 2 >>