STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Researchers have identified two proteins linked to blood clotting as potential markers of “brain fog,” a consistent cognitive issues that affects some after an initial bout with COVID-19.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine, assessed 1,837 people admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19 and discovered elevated levels of fibrinogen and D-dimer during their stays.
People who experienced heightened levels of the biomarkers of blood clotting had ongoing cognitive issues six months and one year after their hospitalization. The researchers said both proteins could be acting in different ways to cause brain fog.
“Both fibrinogen and D-dimer are involved in blood clotting, and so the results support the hypothesis that blood clots are a cause of post-COVID cognitive problems,” said Dr. Max Taquet, a lead author of the study, in a release.
“Fibrinogen may be directly acting on the brain and its blood vessels, whereas D-dimer often reflects blood clots in the lungs and the problems in the brain might be due to lack of oxygen,” said Taquet. “In line with this possibility, people who had high levels of D-dimer were not only at a higher risk of brain fog, but also at a higher risk of respiratory problems.”
Despite its large study group, the research was limited to only unvaccinated individuals, potentially limiting its relevance to the wider population.
Past research has found a significant number of people who suffer an initial COVID-19 infection deal with long-lasting cognitive difficulties. Those neurological symptoms, a separate study found, could last, on average, for more than a year.
A growing body of research indicates at least 10% of people who experienced COVID-19 have lingering symptom for an extended period. One study found three-fourths of people diagnosed with post-COVID-19 symptoms were not initially hospitalized for the illness.
Despite the widespread issues surrounding long-term COVID-19 symptoms,…
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