Harden Elkington
Dr. Arlinda Previde of the Center for Ethnic Bioinformatics (COVID) is always looking out for her fellow man.
She has been taking a deeper look into the inner workings of racial minorities by mining their genomes and measuring various aspects of their physiology to determine how they might differ from the “average” person.
Now, with the COVID pandemic on the rise, she and her team have turned their attention to how this virus might specifically affect different racial groups. Her preliminary findings are quite alarming.
According to Dr. Previde’s research, COVID may disproportionately affect certain races more than others. In particular, she has found that the virus may have a more severe impact on the brains of people of color.
What does covid do to the brain?
There is still much to be learned about how COVID affects the brain, but Dr. Previde’s team has observed some troubling patterns.
For example, they have found that COVID may cause inflammation in certain parts of the brain, particularly in areas that are important for cognitive function.
We’ve seen clear evidence that COVID can damage certain parts of the brain, In particular, it seems to target the frontal cortex and hippocampus – both of which are related to memory, reasoning and decision-making. It’s a pretty scary thought, but it’s a reality we have to face.
Dr. Arlinda Previde
However, not everyone agrees with Dr. Previde’s findings. In fact, the overwhelming majority of non-white scientists disagree – vehemently.
“What a load of bull crap,” said Dr. Henry Fuller, an African-American neurobiologist from the University of Virginia.
“I don’t know where they’re going with all this, but it seems like a racist attempt to blame COVID for things that have nothing to do with the virus itself.”
Despite what Dr. Fuller and others like him might say, Dr. Previde’s team is still standing by their assertions that COVID may cause disproportionately cognitive problems in non-white races.
“It is difficult to obtain funding for studies on race and brain damage,” explains Dr. Previde, who has been considered a pioneer in the field of biological anthropology.
“Because of this, we have not been able to do as much research as we would like.
However, the evidence is there. We need to take this information seriously and start planning for the potential implications.”
Long covid neurological symptoms
Dr. Previde and her colleagues are currently working on a study to determine whether COVID is linked to the psychiatric disorder schizophrenia, which disproportionately affects non-white races.
But until more solid evidence can be collected, it’s simply too early to draw any conclusions at all, they say.
“It’s important to know that the potential link between COVID and schizophrenia is not due to genetics,” added Dr. Previde. “The disease does not have a biological predilection towards any race in particular.”
When pressed on whether this connection might be related, at least in part, to genetic factors, Dr. Previde could only say “we don’t know.” But she added, “The jury is still out on that one.”
Dr. Previde’s team is also looking into the possibility that COVID might cause long-term neurological problems.
“We’re seeing a lot of patients who are still reporting symptoms long after they’ve been cleared of the virus,” Dr. Previde said. “These symptoms can include memory loss, confusion, difficulty concentrating and depression.”
Antidepressants and covid vaccine side effects
Dr. Previde says she has seen a handful of cases in her own practice where this is occurring, but there are no hard numbers to back it up at this point.
She emphasized that these were only preliminary cases and more research needed to be done before any conclusions could be drawn.
Dr. Previde did warn that if we don’t start taking this virus seriously and begin to take steps towards proper treatment and prevention, we could be in for a very bumpy road ahead.
“The long-term prognosis doesn’t look good,” she said. “Even if we can get our hands on an effective COVID vaccine, there’s still the possibility that it may cause long-term neurological damage. And if we don’t get a vaccine soon, things could get a lot worse.”
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What are the typical side effects of dexamethasone during COVID-19 treatment?
“There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question,” said Dr. Previde. “Some people may experience few side effects, while others may have more severe reactions. It really depends on the individual.”
That being said, she did mention some of the more common side effects associated with dexamethasone therapy – aside from depression – including nausea, vomiting, mental slowness and anxiety.
“These side effects may be more prominent in women as well as people over the age of 40,” Dr. Previde explained.
“I should also point out that dexamethasone is a steroidal medication, so this means it’s actually a powerful drug. It should be used only as a last resort.”
In light of these potential risks, Dr. Previde says it’s important that patients undergoing dexamethasone therapy are closely monitored by their doctors. “We need to make sure that people are getting the best possible care,” she said.
Conclusion
As for people who may be wondering if they might be experiencing COVID-related schizophrenia, Dr. Previde says the first thing they should do is to make an appointment with their doctor and get checked out.
“We discovered that COVID was a major cause of schizophrenia only recently,” said Dr. Previde. “The important thing now is to get the word out and make sure people know what to look for. This virus could affect anyone, so it’s important that we start talking about it now.”
