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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is there evidence that COVID-19 can cause lasting neurological or psychological effects?

By Esther Tsvayg
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YES

COVID-19 appears to affect brain function in some patients. Some doctors have estimated that as many as 30% to 50% of patients could experience neurological or psychological symptoms during their recovery. Potential neurological symptoms including dizziness, headache, muscle weakness and lingering loss of smell or taste.

Research is currently underway at the University of Leicester to investigate long-term mental health effects of the virus on patients after hospital treatment. A separate, shorter-term study published in November using anonymized data of 62,354 patients suggested that, in patients with no previous psychiatric history, a diagnosis of COVID-19 increased incidence of subsequent psychiatric diagnoses. The most common diagnoses were anxiety disorders, insomnia and dementia.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Stat News: COVID-19 mental and neurological effects
GOV.UK: Research study into long-term health impacts of COVID-19 launched
The Lancet: Study of associations between COVID-19 and psychiatric disorders
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.