Characterization of cognitive symptoms in post COVID-19 patients

作者：Michael Ruzicka, Simone Sachenbacher, Fides Heimkes, Aline Olivia Uebleis, Susanne Karch, Fabienne Grosse-Wentrup, Gerardo Jesus Ibarra Fonseca, Nora Wunderlich, Johannes R. Bogner, Julia Mayerle, Michael von Bergwelt‐Baildon, Peter Falkai, Marion Subklewe, Thomas Ruzicka, Christopher Benesch, Elisabeth Valdinoci, Anna Pernpruner, Anabel Thomas, Bernhard Heindl, Hans Stubbe, Kristina Adorjan · 发表于：European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1007/s00406-024-01821-z · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Long-Term Effects of COVID-19、COVID-19 and Mental Health、Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders

Cognitive symptoms (CS) belong to the most common manifestations of the Post COVID-19 (PC) condition. We sought to objectify CS in PC patients using routine diagnostic assessments: neurocognitive testing (NCT) and brain imaging (BI). Further, we investigated possible associations of CS with patient reported outcomes (PROs), and risk factors for developing CS. Clinical data and PROs of 315 PC patients were assessed at a mean of 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. 231 (73.3%) patients reported any sort of CS. Among them, 78 underwent NCT and 55 received BI. In NCT, the cognitive domains most affected were the working memory, attention, and concentration. Nonetheless, pathological thresholds were exceeded only in few cases. Neurocognitive performance did not differ significantly between patients complaining of severe (n = 26) versus non-severe (n = 52) CS. BI findings were abnormal in 8 (14.5%) cases with CS but were most likely not related to PC. Patients reporting high severity of CS scored worse in the PHQ-9, FSS, WHOQOL-BREF, were more likely to report impaired sleep, and had a higher prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses. Overall, NCT could confirm mild impairment in some but not all PC patients with CS, while BI studies were abnormal in only few cases. CS severity did not affect NCT results, but severe CS were associated with symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), fatigue (FSS), reduced quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) and higher prevalence of psychiatric illnesses. These findings su...