One of the primary targets of the Sars-Cov2 virus is the brain. Neurologists and psychiatrists together, based on studies presented, have shown that long-Covid can even consume or damage noble areas in the brain. If in the first phase of the disease and during a possible hospitalization from Covid-19 we have mainly respiratory and metabolic symptoms, combined with […]

One of the primary targets of the Sars-Cov2 virus is the brain. Neurologists and psychiatrists together, based on studies presented, have shown that long-Covid can even consume or damage noble areas in the brain. 

If in the first phase of the disease and during a possible hospitalization from Covid-19 we have mainly respiratory and metabolic symptoms, sometimes combined with a loss of taste and smell, once the acute phase has resolved neurological problems appear, as shown by the data of the Covid Next study by the University of Brescia and the Besta Neurological Institute of Milan, published in the journal Neurological Sciences, themes at the center of a forum organized with the Menarini insurance International Foundation.

In severe cases of Sars-Cov2 virus infection, the data show that, while respiratory and metabolic symptoms peak during hospitalization and tend to subside and stabilize once out of the hospital, neurological and psychiatric disorders have an opposite pattern. , begin to increase once the acute phase of the infection is resolved, explained Alessandro Padovani, president-elect of SIN, the Italian Society of Neurology, which promoted the study.

Why does the brain become a target of the coronavirus in the long run? «The inflammatory mechanisms induced by the infection seem to play a role – explained Emilio Sacchetti, professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Brescia – and the previous conditions of the individual aggravated by an intense and prolonged stress condition.

Another aspect is highlighted by Giovanni Biggio, emeritus professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at the University of Cagliari: studies with brain scans show in infected patients a reduction of gray matter in areas such as the hippocampus, which is connected to memory, or in areas associated with emotions. It is therefore advisable, the experts conclude, to monitor the health conditions of all people who have had the infection, regardless of the severity of the neuropsychic symptoms. Children and adolescents should also be monitored.

In conclusion, another appointment announced on the homepage of the International Menarini Foundation should be noted: in Palermo on November 25-26, a congress focused on cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic disorders (“Cardiovascular, Lung and Metabolic diseases Challenges in Medicine for a Personalized Clinical Decision-Making” ) with the participation of eminent scholars from leading Italian universities.