Cognitive impact on patients with COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Abstract Background SARS‐COV‐2 infection reframed medical knowledge in many aspects, yet there is still a lot to be discovered. Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) can cause neuropsychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial impairments. Literature regarding the cognitive impact of COVID-19 is still limited. This study aims to evaluate cognitive function, anxiety, and depression among patients with coronavirus disease 19. Methods Sixty COVID-19 patients were recruited and sub-grouped according to the site of care into three groups, home isolation, ward, and RICU, and compared with 60 matched control participants. Entire clinical history, O2 saturation, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Hamilton’s anxiety (HAM-A), and depression rating scales (HAM-D) were assessed. Results MMSE showed significantly lowest results for the ICU group, with a value of 21.65 ± 3.52. Anxiety levels were the highest for the ICU group, with a highly significant difference vs. the home isolation group (42.45 ± 4.85 vs. 27.05 ± 9.52; p< 0.001). Depression values assessed showed a highly significant difference in intergroup comparison (44.8 ± 6.64 vs. 28.7 ± 7.54 vs. 31.25 ± 8.89; p<0.001, for ICU vs. ward vs. home group, respectively). MMSE revealed a significant negative correlation with age and education level, anxiety level had significant negative correlations with severity of illness and male gender, and depression level had highly significant negative correlations with severity of illness and male gender. Conclusion Both cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms were affected in COVID-19 cases, especially in ICU-admitted patients. The impact of these disorders was significant in older age, lower oxygen saturation, and severe disease. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05293561. Registered on March 24, 2022.