Post-COVID Neurocognitive Disorder and Its Relation with Interleukin: A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study

• Published in: Indian journal of psychological medicine 2024-06, p.02537176241249373
• Main Authors: Anjum, Ajmal, Hussain, Arshad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 0253-7176; 0975-1564
• DOI: 10.1177/02537176241249373

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between post-COVID neurocognitive symptoms and interleukin-6 levels. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study wherein patients complaining of forgetfulness post-infection with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) were taken up for study ( 53) from February 2023 to June 2023. The forgetfulness was characterized using the memory subscale of Postgraduate Institute-Battery of Brain Dysfunction (PGI-BBD). In addition, sociodemographic data were collected from patients. After obtaining written informed consent, 3 mL of peripheral venous blood was collected from patients, and interleukin-6 levels were measured. Other inflammatory markers, like C-reactive protein (CRP), were also measured. The mean age of participants was 46.11 ± 8.58 years. Twenty-nine (54.72%) respondents were female, and 24 (45.28%) were male. Most (62.2%) of the patients in the study suffered from mild-to-moderate severity of COVID-19 infection. Among these patients, 43.3% had impairment in recent memory, 32 patients (60.3%) had impairment in attention and concentration, 54.7% had impairment in delayed recall, and 33.9% had impairment in immediate recall. Impairment in delayed recall was associated with a raised level of interleukin-6 ( .0048 [ .05]). Patients with impaired recall on PGI-BBD post-infection with COVID-19 have raised levels of interleukin-6, suggesting the role of neuroinflammation in post-COVID neurocognitive symptoms. Interleukin-6 is a marker of neuroinflammation that has been linked to cognitive decline in various studies. It can be used to predict cognitive decline and also aid in diagnosis.