Even Mild COVID Tied to Vascular Impairment
-
COVID-19 infection is significantly associated with chronically impaired cerebral vasoreactivity (CVR), results of a small study show. In a small prospective study, participants who previously had COVID-19, even those with mild illness, had significantly decreased CVR compared with never-infected individuals. Results also showed cerebral blood flow (CBF) was greater in never-infected vs previously infected participants, and whole-brain CVR was lower in previously infected vs never-infected participants. Although CVR was also smaller in those with vs those without post-COVID neurologic conditions, the difference was not considered significant.
-
@rituparna The acute phase SARS-CoV-2 infection "is associated with strokes that have features of both vascular inflammation and thromboembolism," the investigators note. Moreover, following the acute phase of infection, up to three quarters of patients "experience persistent neurologic symptoms not attributable to another diagnosis, including headache, difficulty concentrating, vision changes, disequilibrium, and fatigue