Leonel Tavares-Júnior, José Wagner, Nunes Oliveira, Danilo, Silveira da Silva, Jean Breno, Queiroz Feitosa, Werbety Lucas, Menezes Sousa, Artur Victor, Vieira Cunha, Letícia Chaves, de Brito Gaspar, Safira, Pereira Gomes, Carmem Meyve, Brasil de Oliveira, Laís Lacerda, Aquino Moreira-Nunes, Caroline, Carvalho Montenegro, Raquel, Alves Sobreira-Neto, Manoel, and Braga-Neto, Pedro
Introduction: Few studies have objectively evaluated cognitive deficits after the acute phase of COVID-19 disease. Moreover, the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes in cognitive decline in patients with COVID-19 has not been evaluated yet. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms that persisted for more than 3 months from the onset. We determined APOE genotypes. Results: The final sample consisted of 141 patients. The most frequent APOE genotype was E3/E3 (N = 95; 67.3%). In total, 93 patients (65.9%) had memory impairment symptoms as the main complaint, objectively confirmed through screening tests in 25 patients (17.7%). Patients with cognitive impairment had a lower frequency of anosmia than the normal and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) groups (p = 0.005). In addition, depression was recurrent in the cognitive impairment group and the SCD group (p = 0.046). Cognitive impairment was significantly more frequent in hospitalized patients and those with a lower education level. Cognitive status was not associated with APOE genotypes. Discussion: Hospitalized patients had more severe infection with a greater possibility of systemic complications, greater inflammatory response, and prolonged hospitalization, which could impact cognitive performance. Cognitive impairment in patients with COVID-19 does not necessarily involve specific APOE polymorphisms. However, psychiatric disorders may also be responsible for cognitive complaints. Cognitive complaints are frequent in patients with COVID-19, even after the acute phase of the disease and in mild cases. Hospitalized participants and depressed patients may have a higher risk of cognitive impairment. APOE genotypes or haplotypes may not significantly play a role in COVID-19 cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]