Could Long Covid 'Brain Fog' Be an Acquired Form of ADHD? | Hacker News Reader

Could Long Covid 'Brain Fog' Be an Acquired Form of ADHD?

undark.org

11 pointsbookofjoe5 comments

As someone with ADHD and COVID brain fog, the headline made no sense to me - because the symptoms are clearly different. Oh and one is something you have your whole life and the other shows up after an illness.

Then I read it, and was expecting to hate it after discovering the article is an “opinion” piece by a journalist (with an MD). I still hated it. Here’s what’s wrong with it.

1. The whole article starts admitting it’s a hypothesis looking for evidence. Nothing wrong with making a hypothesis and trying to test it, but that’s not really what’s happening. There’s no new or rigorous research here.

2. The evidence is basically “long covid and adhd both defined by a shortage of neurotransmitters… and some research (n=12, n=1) says ADHD meds can treat long covid.” Of course, the article does admit that for most people, it’s different neurotransmitters (dopamine vs seratonin), and most people who experience long covid see symptoms go away after a few months anyways.

3. The other main justification seems to be the increase in ADHD diagnoses that happened during COVID.

> 3. The other main justification seems to be the increase in ADHD diagnoses that happened during COVID.

So more likely that some diagnosed ADHD is actually misdiagnosed COVID?

It’s certainly a possibility in some cases. But it’s also generally understood that ADHD has been underdiagnosed, and that many newly diagnosed ADHD patients sought diagnosis in response to their struggle with other aspects of life during the pandemic.

> Oh and one is something you have your whole life and the other shows up after an illness.

I agree with your post, but do want to point out that adults can acquire ADHD from brain injuries etc.

> Could brain fog and acquired ADHD effectively be the same condition?

No. long covid "Brain fog" is clearly caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. Acquired ADHD has a much broader umbrella of brain injury, infections, environmental factors, and medical history.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3... suggests that various symptoms included in the definition of long covid "brain fog" can be improved by balancing the gut microbiome. The gut is where we produce 90% of serotonin.

So another way to think of this might be "could long covid lead to conditions common of gut dysbiosis?" your answer is what we are seeing in research:

- Depression.

- Anxiety.

- Alzheimer's disease.

- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

- Autism.

- Bipolar disorder.

- Dementia.

- Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

- Post-traumatic stress disorder.

- Schizophrenia.

- etc

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