Coronavirus

Study Finds Coronavirus Could Cause Brain Damage

Researchers say virus-linked brain damage may be connected to a patient's immune response.

Study Finds Coronavirus Could Cause Brain Damage
Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

New evidence suggests the coronavirus could cause brain damage in some infected patients.

Scientists at the University College London studied 43 patients and found that the virus could cause brain inflammation, stroke and nerve damage. Those who suffered brain damage often didn't have any severe breathing issues typically associated with COVID-19.

Researchers are working to understand what causes the complications. The virus was not found in study participants' brain fluid, leading scientists to believe the brain damage is connected to a patient's immune response.

The study's authors say more information is needed to understand the damage and figure out how to treat it. They say it's still unclear "whether we will see an epidemic on a large scale of brain damage linked to the pandemic."