Covid-19 Attacks Brain Similarly to Schizophrenia, Study Says

The discovery was recently published in the journal European Archives of Psychiatry.

The impact of Covid-19 on the brain is similar to that of schizophrenia, reveals a study carried out by researchers from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), the D'Or Institute and the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials, in Brazil, which was published in the European Archives of Psychiatry magazine. Research has proven that both diseases accelerate brain aging. Furthermore, they increase the risk of diabetes.

Previously, it had already been confirmed that people with schizophrenia had a higher risk of developing severe forms of Covid-19. It was to understand this relationship that the authors of this study began this investigation, which proved several similarities between the pathologies.

Scientists compared the brains of people who died from Covid-19 with those of individuals suffering from schizophrenia. "We expected to find more differences than similarities, as one of the conditions is an acute viral infection and the other is a disease that occurs from neurodevelopment, with a genetic basis, but we observed the opposite", said Daniel Martins-de-Souza, from Unicamp, main author of the study, in an interview with Agência Bori.

He also states that both create inflammatory states that accelerate brain aging and modify the brain's communication processes with the body, adding that, in the long term, this combination can contribute to cognitive deficiencies and psychiatric symptoms.

The same study concluded that Covid-19 and schizophrenia can similarly increase the risk of diabetes, by altering the way the body processes carbohydrates, especially glucose, disrupting the way the body controls sugar in circulation. in the blood.

What to do if you have symptoms of Covid-19:

Stay calm and avoid going to hospitals. Stay at home and call SNS 24 (808 24 24 24). Choose option 1 (for other symptoms you must choose option 2) or 112 if it is a medical emergency. Follow all the guidelines given and avoid being close to people, keeping a distance of at least two meters.