Evaluation of Neuropsychiatric outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a nationwide Veterans Health Administration cohort

• Published in: Psychiatry research 2024-06, Vol.336, p.115913-115913, Article 115913
• Main Authors: Patil, Tanvi, Halsey, Emily, Savona, Natalie, Radtke, Michelle, Smigiel, Joseph, Kavuru, Bush, Sekhri, Anuradha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Dementia; Depression; Healthcare utilization; Mental health; Veteran
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115913

•Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may experience increased healthcare utilization related to neuropsychiatric inpatient settings.•Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had increased utilization of outpatient mental health services.•Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may be at increase risk of developing depression or dementia compared to those without COVID-19. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 have an increased risk of developing psychiatric symptoms associated with post-COVID-19 syndrome. We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 hospitalization on neuropsychiatric healthcare utilization as well as new-onset depression and dementia. This nationwide, retrospective, observational cohort study included hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 18 years or older across the Veterans Health Administration database from January 1st, 2020 through January 1st, 2022. The COVID-19 group consisted of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with a positive test within seven days of the hospitalization. The control group consisted of patients hospitalized for reasons other than COVID-19 without a prior positive test or during the study duration. Propensity scores were utilized for 1:1 matching. This study included 50,805 patients in each matched cohort. Average patient population was 69 years old with ∼93 % male. The primary outcome of psychiatry-related hospitalization incidence rates were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group at both 90 days and 180 days. There was also a significant increase in the incidence outpatient mental health visits at 180 days in the COVID-19 cohort. Significantly higher risk of new-onset depression and new-onset dementia in the COVID-19 hospitalization group at 180 days as compared to the non-COVID-19 cohort was noted.