KATHMANDU: Research has shown that people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the previous six months are more likely to develop depression, dementia, psychosis and stroke.

A third of those with a previous COVID-19 infection went on to develop or have a relapse of a psychological or neurological condition.

But those admitted to hospital or in intensive care had an even higher risk.

This is likely to be down to both the effects of stress, and the virus having a direct impact on the brain.

UK scientists looked at the electronic medical records of more than half a million patients in the US, and their chances of developing one of 14 common psychological or neurological conditions, including:

• brain hemorrhage
• stroke
• Parkinson’s
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• dementia
• psychosis
• mood disorders
• anxiety disorders

Anxiety and mood disorders were the most common diagnosis among those with COVID-19, and these were more likely to be down to the stress of the experience of being very ill or taken to hospital, the researchers explained.
(With inputs from BBC)