Effect of oxygen therapy duration on cognitive impairment 12 months after hospitalization for SARS-COV-2 infection

• Published in: Journal of rehabilitation medicine 2023-11, Vol.55, p.jrm12609-jrm12609
• Main Authors: Rapin, Amandine, Calmus, Arnaud, Pradeau, Charles, Taiar, Redha, Belassian, Gaël, Godefroy, Olivier, Carazo-Mendez, Sandy, Boyer, Francois C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cognitive dysfunction; Cognitive Dysfunction - etiology; Cognitive Dysfunction - psychology; COVID-19; Duration of Therapy; follow-up studies; Hospitalization; Humans; Life Sciences; Neurons and Cognition; Oxygen; oxygen inhalation therapy; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 1651-2081; 1650-1977; 1651-2081
• DOI: 10.2340/jrm.v55.12609

To identify predictors of persistent cognitive impairment at 12 months after hospitalization due to COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Retrospective, single-centre study. All consecutive patients assessed in physical and rehabilitation medicine consultations at 3 months with a neuropsychiatric testing (NPT) at 6 months. A Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was performed at 3 months and NPT at 6 and 12 months, exploring global cognitive efficiency, attention and processing speed, short-term memory and executive function. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify predictors of persistent cognitive impairment. Among 56 patients, 64.3% and 53.6% had 1 or more impaired cognitive functions at 6 and 12 months, respectively, attention and processing speed being the most represented (41.1% at 12 month). Duration of oxygen therapy (odds ratio 0.926 [0.871-0.985], p = 0.015) and MMSE score at 3 months (odds ratio 0.464 [0.276-0.783], p = 0.004) were associated with cognitive impairment at 12 months by multivariable analysis (R² 0.372-0.497). Half of patients have cognitive impairment 12 months after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring hospitalization. The duration of oxygen therapy in acute care could be a protective parameter. Systematic evaluation with the MMSE at 3 months after infection might be an effective tool to detect risk.