November 2024

NEUROSCIENCES

NEUROLOGIC MANIFESTATIONS OF LONG COVID DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS

New study from Northwestern Medicine finds symptoms occurred regardless of mild or severe COVID-19 infection
 
Since older adults have been more severely affected by acute COVID-19, researchers have hypothesized that older adults may have worse long COVID symptoms as well. But according to new research published in the Annals of Neurology, an official journal of the American Neurological Association, Northwestern Medicine researchers found on an average of 10 months after COVID-19 onset, younger (ages 18-44) and middle-aged (ages 45-64) adults had worse neurologic symptoms of long COVID than adults 65 and older. Symptoms included headache, numbness and tingling, problems with smell and taste, blurred vision, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and a decrease in cognitive function. These symptoms occurred regardless of if the patient had mild or severe COVID-19 infections.

“While deaths from COVID-19 continue to decrease, people still get repetitive infections  with the virus and may develop long COVID along the way,” said Igor J. Koralnik, MD, chief of neuroinfectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine, who oversees the Neuro COVID-19 Clinic and is the co-director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center. “Long COVID is causing an alteration in patients’ quality of life. Despite vaccinations and boosters, about 30 percent of COVID patients develop some long COVID symptoms. These findings have an immense public health impact, given that long COVID significantly contributes to the leading global burden of disability and disease caused by the neurological disorders.”

STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The study included the first 1,300 patients at the Northwestern Medicine Neuro COVID-19 Clinic with neurologic long COVID symptoms between May 2020 and March 2023.
  • Among those patients, 200 had been previously hospitalized for severe COVID-19 pneumonia while the rest had mild initial COVID-19 symptoms and never required hospitalization.
  • The study is a first-of-its-kind to look at the neurologic symptoms of long COVID over an adult lifespan.
  • The goal was to determine if the neurologic symptoms of long COVID affect adults differently based on their age group.

​“The impact of long COVID is causing disproportionate morbidity and disability in younger adults in their prime who provide much of the workforce, productivity and innovation in our society,” Dr. Koralnik said. “This may have a negative impact on the economy and cause additional burden on the health care system. This study highlights the importance that people of all ages suffering from Long COVID should be provided with the necessary treatment and rehabilitation services to alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life.”
 
To date, the Neuro COVID-19 Clinic has treated more than 2,800 long-haulers from 44 states. To refer a patient, please call 312.695.7950.

Clinical Guidelines: Neurologic Manifestations of Long COVID

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