A study published in The Lancet Psychiatry reveals that many people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 continue to suffer from cognitive and psychiatric problems two to three years after their infection.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Leicester, and other institutions across the UK.
This research underscores the long-term and serious nature of these symptoms, including the emergence of new issues long after the initial infection. The study included 475 participants from the PHOSP-COVID study.
These participants completed a series of cognitive tests on their computers and reported their symptoms related to depression, anxiety, fatigue, and memory problems. They were also asked if they had changed their job and the reasons for doing so.
The findings were concerning:
Two to three years after contracting COVID-19, participants scored significantly lower on cognitive tests, such as those measuring attention and memory, than would be expected. On average, their scores were equivalent to losing 10 IQ points.
A significant number of participants reported severe symptoms: about 20% experienced depression, 12% had anxiety, 25% suffered from fatigue, and another 25% reported subjective memory problems. Notably, these symptoms worsened over time.
Many participants continued to experience symptoms that were present six months after their infection, and some developed new symptoms two to three years post-infection.
These new symptoms often appeared in individuals who had shown early symptoms, indicating that early signs can predict later, more severe issues. This highlights the need for timely intervention.
Over one in four participants reported changing their job, often citing poor health as the reason. The decision to change jobs was more strongly linked to cognitive difficulties rather than depression or anxiety.
This suggests that many people struggled to meet the cognitive demands of their jobs, prompting them to seek different employment.
The study found that the degree of recovery six months after COVID-19 infection is a strong indicator of long-term psychiatric and cognitive outcomes. Early management of symptoms could prevent the development of more complex issues and improve overall recovery.
Dr. Maxime Taquet, who led the study, emphasized the importance of these findings for understanding the burden of long-term brain symptoms in COVID-19 patients and their impact on work capacity. This information is crucial for policymakers, clinicians, and in developing preventive interventions.
Professor Paul Harrison highlighted the importance of understanding the long-term cognitive and psychiatric effects of COVID-19 for both patients and healthcare professionals. He hopes the findings will encourage more research into effective treatments for these brain-related consequences.
Professor Chris Brightling called attention to the urgent need for better understanding and new treatments for long-COVID, given the significant brain-related symptoms identified in the study.
The researchers caution that while the study offers valuable insights, further research is needed to develop effective interventions. Understanding the biological mechanisms behind these symptoms and finding strategies to promote cognitive recovery or prevent decline are essential next steps.
It’s important to note that the study participants were individuals who were hospitalized during the first wave of the pandemic and were not vaccinated at the time of infection.
Only 20% of those invited consented to follow-up assessments, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to the broader population, including those who were not hospitalized.
PHOSP-COVID is a consortium of scientists from across the UK, focusing on the long-term health outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
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The research findings can be found in The Lancet Psychiatry.
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