Long Neurocognitive and Neuropsychiatric Sequelae in Participants with Post-COVID-19 Infection : A Longitudinal Study
Almeria, Marta (Hospital Universitari MútuaTerrassa (Terrassa, Catalunya))
Cejudo, Juan Carlos (Hospital Sagrat Cor (Martorell))
Deus Yela, Juan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Krupinski, Jerzy (Hospital Universitari MútuaTerrassa (Terrassa, Catalunya))

Date:	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.
Grants:	Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI17/02089
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Long COVID-19 ; Cognition ; Subjective cognitive complaints ; Persistent symptoms
Published in:	Neurology international, Vol. 16, Num. 4 (August 2024) , p. 853-868, ISSN 2035-8377

DOI: 10.3390/neurolint16040064
PMID: 39195566

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