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CHICAGO, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — According to a report presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare long COVID patients to an organization with no history of COVID-19 and an organization that had COVID-19 infection but subjectively intact,” said one of the study’s leaders. The authors, Alexander Rau, M. D. , live in the Departments of Neuroradiology and Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital Freiburg, Germany.
After a COVID-19 infection, up to 10% to 25% of patients would possibly develop the post-COVID illness known as “long COVID. “People with long COVID can experience a wide variety of symptoms, adding difficulty concentrating (“brain fog”). “), replace smell or taste, fatigue, joint or muscle pain, shortness of breath, digestive symptoms, and more. These symptoms can persist for weeks, months, or, as is evident now, years after COVID-19 infection. .
However, the basics of this condition are not well understood. Diffusion microstructure imaging (DMI), a new magnetic resonance imaging technique, holds promise in filling this gap.
DMI examines the movement of water molecules in tissues. By reading how water molecules move in other instructions and at other speeds, DMI can provide detailed data about the microstructure of the brain. It can detect even very small adjustments in the brain, with traditional MRI.
For this prospective, cross-sectional study, Dr. Rau and colleagues compared brain MRIs from 3 groups: 89 patients with long COVID, 38 patients who had COVID-19 but did not report long-term subjective symptoms, and 46 healthy patients. with no history of COVID-19.
The researchers first analyzed the brain macrostructure of those three groups to detect atrophy or any other abnormalities. Next, they used DMI to better understand the brain.
The 3 teams had to reveal differences in the microstructure of the brain. DMI parameters were read to detect gray matter in the brain. In addition, whole-brain scans were used to reveal the spatial distribution of alterations and associations with clinical data, adding long COVID symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive impairment or altered sense of smell.
The effects showed no loss of brain volume or any other lesions that could just be a symptom of long COVID. However, COVID-19 infection induced an express trend of microstructural adjustments in various brain regions, and this trend differed among those who had long COVID. and those that don’t.
“This study provides in vivo information about the effect of COVID-19 on the brain,” said Dr. Rau. “Here we see alterations in gray matter in patients with long COVID and in those who are intact after COVID-19. Interestingly, we not only noticed widespread microstructural alterations in long COVID patients, but also in those intact after contracting COVID-19. 19. “
The effects also show a correlation between microstructural adjustments and symptom-specific brain networks related to cognition, smell, and fatigue.
“The expression of post-COVID symptoms is related to the brain networks expressly affected, suggesting a pathophysiological basis for this syndrome,” said Dr. Rau.
The researchers hope to re-examine the patients in the future, recording clinical symptoms and adjustments in the brain’s microstructure.
Despite these brain imaging findings, it’s still unclear why some people develop long COVID while others don’t, previous studies have identified risk points such as female gender, older age, higher body mass index, smoking, pre-existing comorbidities, and previous hospitalizations. or intensive care. admission to the unit.
Co-authors are Jonas A. Hosp, M. D. , Nils Schroter, M. D. , Marco Reisert, Ph. D. , Horst Urbach, M. D. , Cornelius Weiller, M. D. , and Elias Kellner, Ph. D.
Note: Copies of the 2023 RSNA press releases and electronic photographs will be available online at RSNA. org/press23.
The RSNA is an organization of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and similar scientists who promote excellence in patient care and the delivery of physical health services through education, research, and technological innovation. The company is in Oak Brook, Illinois. (RSNA. org)
Editor’s note: The knowledge in these communications may differ from the abstract published and presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their knowledge prior to the meeting. To make sure you’re using as much information as possible, call the RSNA newsroom at 1-312-791-6610.
For helpful facts for patients about brain MRI, visit RadiologyInfo. org.
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SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)