Study finds possible link between obesity and brain-related symptoms of long Covid

Obesity or being overweight could be a symptom of long Covid with researchers finding a significant link between excess weight and persistent neurological and mental health conditions in individuals who have recovered from COVID19 infectionIn May 2023 the World Health Organisation declared an end to COVID19 as a public health emergency However long Covid mdash in which symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks after disease onset mdash continues to be studied around the world for diagnosis and treatmentThe researchers including those from the University of Brasiacutelia Brazil show that among the nearly 14 lakh people involved in the 18 studies being overweight had a significant link with persistent depression headache memory problems and sleep disturbancesThe findings of the study published in journal PLOS One showed a that obesity was significantly associated with a persistent headache problems with smell and taste and vertigoResearchers said that being overweight has been previously identified as a risk factor for experiencing long Covid which can be debilitating and severely affect ones quality of lifeWe anticipated some level of association between excess weight and postCOVID19 symptoms based on prior evidence linking obesity with worse COVID19 longterm outcomes author Debora Barbosa Ronca a visiting PhD scholar at Edith Cowan University Australia saidShe said that the consistency of findings across a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms mdash including memory problems depression sleep disturbances and sensory impairments mdash is notableRonca further said that while they did not perform subgroup analyses by ethnicity the inclusion of studies from 23 different countries suggests the global relevance of the findingsWhile the role of excess weight in COVID19 is not fully understood the authors said it could be due to an exaggerated inflammatory response or preexisting genetic factors that the two conditions shareIn this analysis the team looked at whether being overweight or obese was linked with experiencing neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms in long CovidThe study underscores the significant physical and mental health burden faced by COVID19 survivors having excess weight and obesityIn the current postpandemic scenario affected individuals urgently need an enhanced personalised care management the authors saidOur systematic review and metaanalysis demonstrate that EW excess weight is significantly associated with postCOVID19 neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms including headache memory issues numbness smell and taste disorders vertigo depression and sleep disturbance the authors wroteRonca said These symptoms of long COVID can significantly impact quality of life and may linger for monthsThe author said that as there are overlapping public health challenges in the postpandemic era such as long COVID mental health issues and rising rates of obesity its essential to develop personalised and multidisciplinary care strategies to better support affected individualsThe study also contributes to ongoing global efforts to understand biological processes responsible for long Covid along with trends of the disease in populations epidemiology and identificationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params