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Long Neurocognitive and Neuropsychiatric Sequelae in Participants with Post-COVID-19 Infection: A Longitudinal Study

Authors :
Marta Almeria
Juan Carlos Cejudo
Joan Deus
Jerzy Krupinski
Source :
Neurology International, Vol 16, Iss 4, Pp 853-868 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and characterize the cognitive changes in COVID-19 participants at 6-month follow-up, and to explore a possible association with clinical symptoms, emotional disturbance and disease severity. Methods: This single-center longitudinal cohort study included participants aged 20 and 60 years old to exclude cognitive impairment age-associated with confirmed COVID-19 infection. The initial evaluation occurred 10 to 30 days after hospital or ambulatory discharge, with a subsequent follow-up at 6 months. Patients who had a history of cognitive impairment, neurological conditions, or serious psychiatric disorders were not included. Information on demographics and laboratory results was gathered from medical records. Cognitive outcomes were assessed with a neuropsychological battery including attention, verbal and visual memory, language and executive function tests. Results: A total of 200 participants were included in the study, and 108 completed the follow-up visit. At the 6-month follow-up, comparing the means from baseline with those of the follow-up evaluation, significant overall improvement was observed in verbal and visual memory subtests (p = 0.001), processing speed (p = 0.001), executive function (p = 0.028; p = 0.016) and naming (p = 0.001), independently of disease severity and cognitive complaints. Anxiety and depression were significantly higher in groups with Subjective Cognitive Complaints (SCC) compared to those without (p < 0.01 for both). Conclusions: Persistent symptoms are common regardless of disease severity and are often linked to cognitive complaints. Six months after COVID-19, the most frequently reported symptoms included headache, dyspnea, fatigue, cognitive complaints, anxiety, and depression. No cognitive impairment was found to be associated with the severity of COVID-19. Overall, neuropsychological and psychopathological improvement was observed at 6 months regardless of disease severity and cognitive complaints.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20358377
Volume :
16
Issue :
4
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Neurology International
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.56a286c7753343a9be4ce2cc625f3ce5
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint16040064