Sumathi Reddy, WSJ<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ken Todd stopped working in 2023 after experiencing long-Covid symptoms, including cognitive difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five years after the pandemic\u2019s start, millions of Americans are still struggling with long-lasting symptoms<\/a> of Covid-19. Cognitive difficulties are among the most troubling and common symptoms in people both old and young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These ailments can be severe enough to leave former professionals like Ken Todd unable to work and even diagnosed with a form of mild cognitive impairment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I first spoke with Todd, a 56-year-old former Showtime executive in New York City, in 2022 for a column on long-Covid patients grappling with crippling fatigue<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Todd says he stopped working in 2023. When he tried to apply for jobs he realized he just didn\u2019t have the physical or mental stamina. \u201cIt just exacerbated my symptoms,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Todd was diagnosed with a form of mild cognitive impairment in February. Now, he is pursuing cognitive rehabilitation to learn strategies to compensate for his cognitive deficiencies, along with other therapies. \u201cWe have not talked about regression,\u201d says Todd. \u201cBut we need to keep monitoring it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our exchange raises a troubling question: Are long-Covid patients\u2019 cognitive symptoms getting better or regressing? And are those patients being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, more at risk for developing dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s disease later?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I posed these questions to the doctors and scientists who see and study these patients. Most agree that long-Covid patients experience cognitive issues and other neurological symptoms likely fueled by brain inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It remains unclear if these changes will persist or worsen over time. But there are some disturbing signals that they could, at least in a certain subset of patients. And there is some evidence that the age when you got Covid-19 may be an important factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Studies have found that older people who have Covid-19 are at increased risk<\/a> of developing Alzheimer\u2019s sooner than if they haven\u2019t had it. Covid may be accelerating the process in people already at risk of dementia, or contributing to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In younger people such as Todd, complaints of brain fog and cognitive difficulties may be intertwined with, or stem from, other common long-Covid symptoms, such as fatigue and pain, doctors say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Todd, a former marathon runner, now spends his time managing his symptoms, which can flare up when he exerts himself too much physically, emotionally or mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCognitive difficulty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n