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Becoming infected with COVID-19 can increase an individual's risk of developing neurological conditions such as memory and movement disorders, strokes, and seizures, a new study found.
An analysis of federal health data by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found COVID also led to an increased risk of depression, anxiety and migraine headaches.
The study examined data from March 2020 through early January 2021. Researchers noted that this was before COVID vaccines were widely available and before the delta and omicron variants.
Brain health of individuals was followed for one year. Results showed that those who tested positive for COVID-19 had a 7% higher number of neurological conditions compared with those who were not infected.
In addition, those who were infected had a 77% higher risk of developing memory problems compared to those who weren't.
A previous study from Washington University researchers found that vaccination can reduce the risk of long-term brain problems by ~20%.
"It is definitely important to get vaccinated but also important to understand that they do not offer complete protection against these long-term neurologic disorders," Ziyad Al-Aly, senior author of both studies, said.
Vaccine makers: Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX).
J.P. Morgan just downgraded Novavax (NVAX) based on the company's long-term outlook.