Increasingly, Covid survivors are reporting that ongoing brain fog is impairing their ability to work and function normally. Current theories postulate that the body’s initial immune response to the virus may be delayed, or that the adaptive immune response may be delayed in shutting down, resulting in persistent inflammation of the brain.
"Fibro Fog" is commonly found in people with fibromyalgia, from 50 to 80 percent, according to some studies.
Mental cloudiness can be experienced during and after cancer treatment, but in particular during or after chemotherapy. The exact cause is not known, but the effects of chemo brain can be long lasting.
One of the reasons that PTSD causes brain fog is that the brain may not be functioning optimally. Current theories include the fact that PTSD increases stress hormones, such as cortisol, significantly disrupts sleep, and changes how the brain functions in a number of ways.
Depression is linked to physical changes in the brain, which can range from increased inflammation, all the way to actual brain shrinkage in areas such as the Hippocampus. Chronic inflammation can lead to cell death, contributing to decreased neurotransmitter production as well as reduced neuroplasticity.
An estimated 60 percent of middle-aged women report difficulty concentrating and other issues with cognition. These issues appear to spike in women going through perimenopause, during which hormone levels fluctuate causing a range of symptoms.
