Post-Hospitalization COVID-19: Cognitive Deficits Persist After 1 Year

SciFocus/Nov 27, 2024 -- Study reveals global cognitive impairments linked to brain injury and gray matter reduction.

A groundbreaking study published in Nature Medicine (2024) provides vital insights into the long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19 among hospitalized patients. Researchers evaluated cognitive, biomarker, and neuroimaging data from a national cohort of 351 post-hospitalized COVID-19 patients and compared them to 2,927 matched controls.

Findings indicate that moderate to severe COVID-19 may lead to immune-mediated brain injury, underscoring the need for targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

Key Highlights:

• Global Cognitive Deficits: Patients exhibited widespread cognitive impairments one year after hospitalization.
• Brain Injury Markers: Elevated markers of brain injury and reduced anterior cingulate cortex volume were linked to cognitive decline.
• Risk Factors: The greatest deficits were associated with severe initial infection, post-acute psychiatric symptoms, and encephalopathy history.
• Subjective-Objective Concordance: Strong agreement between patients' reported cognitive issues and objective test results validates their experiences.
• Recovery Trends: Longitudinal follow-ups suggest a potential, albeit slow, recovery trajectory.
• Immune-Mediated Mechanisms: Evidence supports a hypothesis that cognitive impairments may be driven by immune-related brain injury.

This study highlights the critical need for acknowledging and addressing long-term cognitive symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Further research is essential to clarify the underlying mechanisms and develop effective therapeutic strategies.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03309-8

#COVID19 #CognitiveHealth #BrainInjury #NatureMedicine

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