– With brain fog comes memory loss, concentration problems and cognitive problems. I heard people talking, but I didn’t catch what they were saying, says Liv Gunhild Aase. Almost two years after she was infected with the corona virus, she still has problems. Today, she is 50 percent on sick leave from her job in the healthcare system. She has had an approved decision on occupational injury after corona infection. – It goes in waves. Now I am down in a valley where I am characterized by brain fog and an extreme tiredness that makes me function poorly. She is optimistic and hopes to soon be able to work full-time again. But for now, she has to take it easy and listen to her body. – I could sit in a meeting and be in the middle of a sentence, and forget what I was going to say. Both work and her social life have had major negative consequences from the disease. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Researchers are concerned Aase’s social life has also been affected by the ailments and is now almost non-existent. – I have to force myself to seek it out. People mostly know that I have such ailments, but still, it puts a damper on it. Not only because I can’t keep up with conversations, but also because I get very tired. Researchers are concerned that more people are probably struggling with health problems as a result of corona infection. In 2022, 43,000 responded to the unpublished study “The Norwegian Corona Study” led by physician and researcher Arne Søraas at Oslo University Hospital. They have now compared it with the first 43,000 who answered in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, 9.3 percent answer that their memory has deteriorated. 14.5 per cent say they have poorer concentration, and 21.9 per cent say they have poorer health in general. Doctor and researcher at Oslo University Hospital Arne Søraas. Photo: Torstein Bøe / news Søraas believes the study is sufficiently representative of the Norwegian population, and that his findings increase the certainty one has that covid-19 causes health problems. “Memory and concentration problems for those who have had it twice compared to those who have not, often lie in a doubled chance,” he says. – Among the most common symptoms, Søraas says that it is uncertain whether the problems will go away. – There are more studies now showing that memory and concentration in particular last a very long time. We do not see any improvement after two years, and that is of course not a good sign, he says. Research manager Signe Flottorp at FHI. Research manager Signe Flottorp at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) says a number of national and international studies show that the late effects of covid-19 are a health problem. – However, the results from various studies differ when it comes to the occurrence and duration of the symptoms, she says. Flottorp points out that most studies indicate that the risk of late sequelae is lower among those who are infected with the omicron variant and are vaccinated, than among those who were infected earlier in the pandemic. – An approximately doubled risk of memory problems among those who have been infected compared to those who have not been infected, is consistent with findings from other studies. 5,566 claims related to corona The Norwegian Nurses Association (NSF) has assisted in around 70 covid cases. Lawyer Yvonne Frøen in NSF says that NAV has approved 36 out of 54 cases. She says, however, that the main problem in the cases is the insurance companies. Only a small number of the cases are approved, and none of the cases have been fully processed with a view to determining compensation. – In most cases, the issue of approval is still being processed by the insurance companies, despite the fact that NAV has approved the disease as an occupational disease, says Frøen. On 1 September 2022, NAV has received a total of 5,566 damage reports related to covid-19 (external link).
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Study shows memory and concentration problems after covid-19 – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
