“Gray matter in the frontal lobe of the brain is reduced when severe Covid-19 patients are kept on ventilation support to supply oxygen to the body. In patients without supplemental oxygen, there is no change in the volume of the gray matter,” Times of India quoted neurologists as saying.
“Covid-19 is found to have impact on gray matter volume in important brain locations. This reduction is noticed particularly in patients with fever. In patients with no symptoms, the volume is not affected at all,” Dr P Ranganadham, senior consultant neurosurgeon at Sunshine hospitals, Gachibowli, said.
Patients, particularly those recovered after ventilation support should be careful and watch out for post-Covid-19 symptoms, warned Dr Ranganadham.
Such patients can have problems in concentrating and may show slowness in their activities. Mood disturbances, hallucinations, and other cognitive issues were also observed in some patients, as per the report.
The ToI report quoting neurologists in Hyderabad said that one in eight severe Covid-19 patients reported mood swings and anger. “The problem is further complicated in overweight or obese patients. In some cases, reduction in gray matter can cause temporary disability,” doctors warned.