Photo: Nenad Mihajlović / RAS Serbia
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Apart from the fact that the corona virus infection itself can bring numerous health complications, it is also known that the consequences can be felt and long after infection as postcovid syndrome. However, new research conducted by the University of Oxford and the National Institutes of Health shows that the corona virus also has consequences for mental health.
The study included 270,000 people who recovered from the crown, but not from its consequences. Respondents mostly complained that they were depressed and nervous, but they also had problems with breathing, stomach, chest pain, muscles. They were both exhausted and disoriented.
Photo: Vesna Lalic / RAS Serbia
The director of the “Dr Laza Lazarevic” Clinic, Ivana Stasevic Karlicic, told RTS that kovid is not only a respiratory, but also a multisystem disease, and that inflammatory processes have an impact on the central nervous system.
– Corona virus is also neurotropic. It has a special affinity for neurons of the central nervous system, we have warned about that. It is these people that we expect with problems related to mental disorders. We overcame the stress brought by the Kovid 19 epidemic, we adapted. What will remain for further care are the long-term consequences of the inflammatory process brought by kovid – warns Stašević Karličić.
He adds that studies around the world have confirmed this. Dr. Stašević Karličić explains that scientists have discovered changes in brain tissue in people who have had covid and that they are very similar to the degenerations found in a patient with schizophrenia and dementia.
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– Findings of studies dealing with radiological and pathological analyzes of brain tissue of people who were hospitalized due to moderate and severe forms of COVID 19 (magnetic resonance imaging and postmortem autopsies for scientific purposes) show changes in brain regions and neurons that indicate neurodegeneration – changes similar to those typical of schizophrenia and dementia. This finding indicates a significant impact of the inflammatory process and the affinity of the corona virus for the cells of the central nervous system – said Dr. Stašević Karličić for “Blic”.
She explains that these changes do not have to manifest as schizophrenia or dementia, but there is a whole spectrum of conditions in which these brain changes are manifested.
– Anxiety, depressive symptomatology and cognitive impairment are the most common clinical presentations in patients with prolonged covidity. Also worth mentioning are the complex neuropsychiatric syndromes in patients in intensive and semi-intensive care units, which are manifested in significant numbers in episodes of acute anxiety, hallucinations, disorientation, aggression and suicidality – explains the doctor.
Photo: Vesna Lalić / RAS Serbia
Are such disorders seen only in people who are already treated for psychiatric disorders or in the general population, Dr. Stašević Karličić explains that it can happen to anyone. What is good news, she points out, is that we have already adapted to the stress that the mere existence of a pandemic brings.
– This symptomatology is was seen in all populations due to the impact of the disease itself on the central nervous system and due to the psychological effect of the crisis related to the COVID 19 pandemic at its very beginning. Fortunately, people who are not predisposed have adapted to the changed lifestyle over time, and I would mention the importance of vaccination, which in the future to a significant extent and in the narrowest sense of the word, could be a good tool for preventing mental disorders – preventing COVID 19, ie by alleviating its symptoms and significantly reducing the transmission of the virus in the general population – says the doctor.
How often does this happen, the doctor says that anyone who has had a more severe clinical picture may be at risk, and accurate statistics require time.
– People who have suffered from severe and moderate forms of kovid can experience the first episode of any mental illness as a result of the impact of the inflammatory process on the brain. From the up-to-dateness of the treatment and the predisposition of the patient, what will be the further course and recovery, considering that the diagnosis of every mental illness implies a longer period of time and monitoring. Future clinical monitoring studies will provide answers related to the frequency and nature of mental illness related to covid 19 – said Dr. Stašević Karličić.
Women more often depressed after a miscarriage 
Interestingly, the study eventually showed that statistically more women report anxiety and depressive disorders after lying down.
– This does not mean that women are more susceptible but that they appear more often, showing a greater degree of concern for their health and responsibility. It will take time for a deeper analysis of the statistical data of the studies now available, and the ready conclusions will be reached by expert circles by consensus. Lay views on statistics and trends in the epidemiological situation regarding COVID 19 and its impact on health and quality of life in general, do not contribute to good management of the pandemic – concluded Stašević Karličić.
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- Dr Ivana Stašević Karličić
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