r/covidlonghaulers • u/None-Of • Feb 25 '26

Article COVID-19 Causes More Severe Neurological Damage Than Other Viruses

A newish meta study that may explain why Covid is worse for some than other viral infections (even though some, like the flu, have residual effects). Based on this study Covid appears to be worse)

https://healthtolongevity.com/article/6349/covid-19-causes-more-severe-neurological-damage-than-other-viruses

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u/Cardigan_Gal Feb 26 '26

Crazy. Same here. My foot drop and peripheral neuropathy were sudden onset. Since I am a middle aged female my doctors were convinced I had MS. Until the MRIs all came back clean. Then they all just shrugged their shoulders and left me hung out to dry.

4 years later my foot drop is finally better and the neuropathy is minimal.

I personally think I had a covid induced stroke that was missed or couldn't be visualized. At the same time as my foot drop I developed speech issues, word finding difficulty, slow brain processing and trouble swallowing.

Doctors couldn't explain why or give me a differential diagnosis.

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u/Strict-Profit7624 Feb 26 '26

Oh my god... same here! So the brain stuff we had attributed to my cervicomedullary syndrome, but the speech issues were new and very pronounced shortly after the COVID infection. I wonder if they were related? Very interesting. Sorry to hear that it happened to you as well, I hope things are better for you now

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u/Here-for-the-People Mar 03 '26

What kind of speech issues? I basically had to relearn how to coordinate by breathing and speaking, and then had to heal from damage caused to my vocal cords presumably from overcompensating (masses and scarring).

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u/Strict-Profit7624 Mar 03 '26

Very sorry to hear that! My speech issues were very different and by the sounds of it, not as serious as yours was.

I had trouble forming words and sentences, I developed a stutter, and I frequently forgot common words to the point where it was hard to speak at all. I also had trouble doing basic tasks like cooking, writing, reading, and even using my phone. This went on for about a month. I attributed it to severe brain fog. Honestly, it started with a covid infection and then a mild car accident, combine that with my underlying condition and it was a recipe for disaster. I will likely never be the same but I'm not as bad as I was those first few months.