Although serious adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccines are rare, some are life-threatening. It is important that radiologists are aware of how these complications present.

Researchers have used 7T MRI to demonstrate that former COVID-19 inpatients are susceptible to persistent brainstem abnormalities associated with long-haul COVID symptoms.

Some of the findings observed have also been reported in patients who have multiple sclerosis, “which could suggest partially shared pathophysiological substrates of fatigue symptoms,” researchers indicated. 

The CDC estimates that just under 7% of adults in the United States continue to struggle with symptoms of long COVID.

According to data shared by the CDC last year, around 34% of patients who contracted COVID between 2020 and 2023 reported losing their sense of smell. 

That’s according to new PET imaging that shows the presence of activated T cells in the brain, spinal cord, gut and lung tissues of individuals who have recovered from COVID.

These changes could have long-lasting implications for lung function, authors of the new study warn.

On imaging some former COVID patients show significant alterations in several parts of the brain related to emotional regulation.