A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Imperial College of London found that individuals who suffered from severe cases of COVID-19 experienced cognitive impacts equivalent to 20 years of aging.
Researchers said the deterioration, which was measured in 46 patients who received critical care for the virus at a Cambridge hospital between March and June of 2020, was equivalent to a loss of 10 IQ points.
The participants took part in a "custom computerised cognitive assessment battery" in which they completed eight tasks with an iPad, according to an outline of the methodology.
"T-tests of global summary score and response time composites confirmed that participants who had been hospitalised due to COVID-19 scored significantly lower and were slower in their responses than would be expected given the control population," the researchers wrote.
"Repeating the analysis for the 43 chronic-phase patients >90 days post-symptom onset showed a similar result," they continued, later stating that a third test confirmed the same results.
Imperial College Professor Adam Hampshire, a contributor to the study, urged British health officials to take the study into account and organize a plan to help those with substantial cognitive deterioration from the virus, according to The Hill.
"Tens of thousands of people have been through intensive care with COVID-19 in England alone and many more will have been very sick, but not admitted to hospital," Hampshire said.
"This means there are a large number of people out there still experiencing problems with cognition many months later. We urgently need to look at what can be done to help these people," he added.
The latest study appears to back similar findings from one published last month out of China, which found COVID could contribute to accelerated aging in patients – but it may be reversible.