Evaluation of the frequency of chronic disease with brain fog

Cemek, E. Evaluation of the Frequency of Chronic Disease with Brain Fog, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir, 2024. Although brain fog is not a diagnosis and there is no method to measure the condition, the collection of patients' perceived symptoms has attracted great interest in the scientific community. There are many triggering factors that explain the physiology of this condition, which manifests itself with moments of blurring, decreased focus and mental acuity, difficulty in thinking and multitasking, and difficulty in concentration and speaking, and there are many methods for its treatment. Brain fog seems to be linked to many chronic diseases; however, after the SARS-CoV 2 outbreak, more extensive studies and research began to be conducted on it. In our study, we aimed to investigate the association between brain fog and chronic diseases that are common or can occur at any time. The cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted on 422 patients who applied to the Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Family Medicine outpatient clinic. Participants were administered a questionnaire consisting of questions regarding sociodemographic information and brain fog findings. As a result of the research, the total brain fog scale score of the individuals was found to be 68,1±22,1 on average. When the scores of the sub-dimensions were examined, cognitive symptoms were found to be 37,3±13,1; physical symptoms were found to be 19,4±7,0; and psychological symptoms were found to be 11,3±4,5. According to our results, we found that brain fog does not occur very often with chronic diseases; however, it is possible to say that it is seen more frequently with some diseases. It seems that new researches and larger sample sets are needed to understand which chronic diseases it is more frequently and definitely associated with. Brain fog is a reversible condition. If the patients' current diseases are treated adequately and they are followed up regularly, brain fog symptoms can be corrected with appropriate diagnosis and treatment. If adequate treatment is not given and existing pathologies progress or if neuroinflammation cannot be prevented, permanent damage may occur. Therefore, individuals with chronic diseases should not neglect their routine check-ups and should have their follow-up and treatment done regularly. Key Words: brain fog, inflammation, cognitive function, chronic disease