Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #112

[Gemmie]

Odd... I wonder why the numbers are so high in the US?

86% in US report brain fog, versus 15% in India​

Among long-COVID patients who were not hospitalized during their initial infection (most participants), 86% of those in the United States reported brain fog, compared with 62% in Colombia, 63% in Nigeria, and 15% in India. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were reported by 70% of US participants, compared with roughly 68% in Colombia and less than 20% in Nigeria and India.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

 

[Stunned]

Odd... I wonder why the numbers are so high in the US?

86% in US report brain fog, versus 15% in India​

Among long-COVID patients who were not hospitalized during their initial infection (most participants), 86% of those in the United States reported brain fog, compared with 62% in Colombia, 63% in Nigeria, and 15% in India. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were reported by 70% of US participants, compared with roughly 68% in Colombia and less than 20% in Nigeria and India.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

Maybe diet? IMO

 

[Gemmie]

Maybe diet? IMO

That did cross my mind. I think it would be interesting if they surveyed those Americans about their diets. Do they eat healthily or eat a diet full of processed food? How much do they drink and how much do they exercise, etc. That would be pretty interesting to me.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Odd... I wonder why the numbers are so high in the US?

86% in US report brain fog, versus 15% in India​

Among long-COVID patients who were not hospitalized during their initial infection (most participants), 86% of those in the United States reported brain fog, compared with 62% in Colombia, 63% in Nigeria, and 15% in India. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were reported by 70% of US participants, compared with roughly 68% in Colombia and less than 20% in Nigeria and India.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

My first thought was more ominous. Isn't air pollution extreme in India's cities? I wonder if their population isn't already compromised by that, and the increase in brain fog due to COVID is less apparent.

Of course anything that is self-reported is vulnerable to confirmation bias, people only reporting it if they want to believe it to be true. That's another possibility. I have no idea what Indians generally think about COVID.

It could also go the other way, where in the US people might deny they even have Long Covid unless their symptoms are stronger, thereby leaving out the large chunk of folks who might constitute the Long-Covid-but-no-brain-fog component.

All MOO

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

The article suggested a reason.

Brain fog, depression more common in long COVID in US than in lower-income countries, study suggests

www.cidrap.umn.edu

These disparities likely suggest social and cultural differences in how long COVID is experienced and reported rather than differences in the biology of the virus. They may also reflect differences in access to health care, the authors said.

“It is culturally accepted in the U.S. and Colombia to talk about mental health and cognitive issues, whereas that is not the case in Nigeria and India,” senior author Igor Koralnik, MD, chief of neuro-infectious disease and global neurology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a news release.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I think about this frequently when I'm cleaning kitchen counters/bathroom vanities with Lysol (or Clorox) wipes:

Are there certain habits that you've retained since the pandemic? One of ours is definitely always having Lysol or Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bathrooms. Kitchen counters get wiped down multiple times daily, and bathroom vanities/sinks/toilet seats get wiped several times a week, including the guest bathroom that is rarely used. We also wipe phones, remotes, computer keyboards/mouse, door handles regularly. We get a multi-pack of wipes every time we go to Costco. Sometimes they're on sale, sometimes not, but we always have multiple cartons in the house.

We also make sure that we have necessary staples in the pantry and refrigerator. During the pandemic, this helped limit contact with those who might be sick, and now, it limits trips to stores.

I know some here still wear masks. We don't wear them but have masks in our cars, and I always have one in my purse. Except for a Tiger ballgame last summer and a matinee movie in a theatre with only 10 guests, we have avoided crowded events. We always get flu shots in the fall and will get Covid boosters as long as they are offered.