A new study at the 7th Congress of the European Society of Neurology (EAN) found that COVID-19 patients have cognitive and behavioral problems two months after discharge. Memory, spatial awareness and information processing issues were identified as likely from the suspense of the virus in people who recovered from COVID-19 who were followed within eight weeks.
study also found that one in five patients reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 16% of them developed depression symptoms.
This study was conducted in Italy and involved testing neurocognitive abilities and MRI brain scans on patients two months after symptoms of COVID-19. More than 50% of patients experienced cognitive impairment ; 16% had executive function problems (manage working memory, flexible thinking and information processing), 6% had visual-spatial problems (difficulty in judging depth and seeing clearly), 6% had memory impairment, and 25% showed a combination of all these symptoms.
The cognitive and psychopathological problems in young people are much more serious, and most patients under the age of 50 show problems with executive function.
In the entire sample, the severity of acute respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 during admission was associated with low executive function performance.
In addition, longitudinal observations of the same cohort at 10 months after COVID-19 showed that cognitive impairment decreased from 53% to 36%, but PTSD and depression symptoms persisted.
Lead author of the study, Professor Massimo Filippi from the Institute of Science and Technology of Milan, Milan, Italy, explained: "Our study has confirmed that significant cognitive and behavioral problems are associated with COVID-19 and persist within months of the disease's remission. "
" A particularly shocking finding is the changes in executive function we found, which may make it difficult for people to concentrate, plan, think flexibly and remember things. These symptoms affected three-quarters of young patients at working age."
did not observe a significant relationship between cognitive performance and brain capacity in the study. "Large-scale research and longer-term follow-up are needed, but this study shows that COVID-19 is associated with major cognitive and psychopathological problems. Proper follow-up and treatment are critical to ensure that these previously hospitalized patients are fully supported and help alleviate these symptoms."
This study is one of four scientific reports on the neurological symptoms of COVID-19 at this week's EAN conference, a rapidly rising field of research.
