3. Confusion and Brain Fog
It’s common for those struggling with pneumonia to experience mental effects such as confusion and brain fog. This is the result of multiple factors
One is inflammation. During any type of infection, the body will -as we have seen – attempt to drive out the invading virus or bacteria. Inflammation causes fluids to rush to the air to try and ‘flush’ out the germs while also supply the tissue with necessary nutrients and antibodies.
However, this inflammation is triggered by the release of substances called pro-inflammatory cytokines. These are the chemicals that signal inflammation to occur in the body but they don’t only affect one area. Thus, pro-inflammatory cytokines can also act on the brain, which causes inflammation here and leads to brain fog.