Corona patients are more likely to have neurological or psychological problems than people with other respiratory illnesses. A British study in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry found a 44 percent higher risk of anxiety disorders or mood disorders than after flu.

"Our results show that brain disease and psychiatric disorders are more common after Covid-19 than after influenza or other respiratory infections," shared co-author Max Taquet of Oxford University. The exact reasons for this are still unclear, he said.

Overall, about one-third of the patients recorded suffered from a neurological or mental illness within six months of their Covid 19 diagnosis. The British researchers analyzed digital data from more than 236,000 patients, most of whom were treated in the United States.

Already last year, doctors reported findings of permanently damaged organs and observed serious late effects of corona disease. The physicians compared the findings with similar diseases such as Sars and Mers and their long-term consequences.

"Long Covid" also in children
Long-term consequences can also be caused by the corona virus in children. Most recently, the fate of a family in the United Kingdom drew attention. While the disease itself is initially less severe in children, it is the so-called "long covid" that brings late effects.

The most common diagnoses from the Oxford study were anxiety disorders in 17 percent and mood disorders in 14 percent of all people analyzed. They also suffered from insomnia (5 percent), stroke from a blood clot (2.1) and brain hemorrhage (0.6). The scientists involved point to the need for further research to find out the exact causes and to prevent or treat consequential damage.

There have already been studies in the past that have seen a connection between neurological illnesses and infection. But the consequences of isolation due to lockdowns and quarantines have also led to an increase in sick leave due to mental illness in some places. In Bavaria, the evaluation of insurance data had shown that in 2020, people with depression and anxiety were absent from work significantly more often than before.

Editor's note: Do you live in Germany and are you covered for health insurance? Are you ready for your vaccination?  Check out our private health insurance FAQ to see if you qualify for PKV and how to acquire it if you wish to do so.

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