By now, we all know that the coronavirus targets the respiratory tract. But it turns out COVID-19 isn’t happy just wrecking breathing alone.
Because, according to new research, this nasty infection can strike your brain too.
And as if that wasn’t disturbing enough, there’s something else.
Unless you know WHAT to look for… unless you’re aware of the warning signs… you may not even know it’s there.
But the new study also reveals HOW to spot this unusual potential sign of infection. Which means you’ll know what to watch for. And you’ll know exactly when to call your doctor to get quick help when it matters most.
COVID-19 could invade the central nervous system
The small questionnaire study found that close to half of COVID-19 patients report several days of depression per week while sick. While one in five said, they fought depression every day of their illness.
And 45 percent of coronavirus victims surveyed battled mild anxiety, while one in 10 suffered from severe anxiety.
Doctors had assumed that depression and anxiety were just natural responses to the high fever, breathing struggles, and overall worry when you have this infection.
Except the researchers found those symptoms didn’t really go hand-in-hand. The folks most likely to report depression weren’t the ones battling high fever and severe shortness of breath.
Instead, they tended to be the folks struggling with the strange loss of smell and taste that can mark the infection.
And that, the experts say, is a potential sign that the virus could be attacking the central nervous system – because mood, smell, and taste are all handled in the same area on your brain’s control panel.
The researchers called this finding “shocking,” but say it’s also in line with mouse studies on the related SARS infection, which found THAT virus can attack the brain.
Don’t ignore depression and other unusual symptoms
It’s not clear what, if any, long-term risks there are to COVID-19 targeting the brain. Like with so many things about this virus, there’s just so much we don’t know yet.
But one thing is clear. This is a nasty infection that will take advantage of whatever weaknesses it can to survive and thrive.
Some people – especially younger, healthier folks – suffer from symptoms so mild they barely know they’re sick, and never suspect coronavirus. Others get very severely ill very quickly and need immediate help.
But many more victims are somewhere in the middle, battling unusual symptoms that they may not even link to COVID-19, such as depression. And that’s what you’ve really got to be on the lookout for. Because those are the infections that can deceive you.
You might think you’re just feeling a little under the weather. And next thing you know, you’re in desperate need of critical care.
This new research is yet another wakeup call. It reminds us to be vigilant about looking out for the more unusual symptoms that could mark infection, including unexplained depression, especially with the loss of smell or taste.
Because even if you don’t have a cough or fever… or you’re not struggling to breathe… if you have other unusual symptoms, you should call your doctor and let him know. He can then decide if he wants you to get tested.
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