Neurological and Mental Health Symptoms Associated with Post-COVID-19 Disability in a Sample of Patients Discharged from a COVID-19 Ward: A Secondary Analysis

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-04, Vol.19 (7), p.4242
• Main Authors: Cacciatore, Martina, Raggi, Alberto, Pilotto, Andrea, Cristillo, Viviana, Guastafierro, Erika, Toppo, Claudia, Magnani, Francesca G, Sattin, Davide, Mariniello, Arianna, Silvaggi, Fabiola, Cotti Piccinelli, Stefano, Zoppi, Nicola, Bonzi, Giulio, Gipponi, Stefano, Libri, Ilenia, Bezzi, Michela, Martelletti, Paolo, Leonardi, Matilde, Padovani, Alessandro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Complications; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease; Dyspnea; Fatigue; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Infections; Male; Memory; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Olfaction disorders; Pandemics; Patients; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Rehabilitation; Secondary analysis; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sleep; Survival; Variables
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074242

Recent studies suggest that COVID-19 survivors may experience long-term health consequences: in particular, neurological and mental health symptoms might be associated with long-term negative outcomes. This study is a secondary analysis of a larger cohort study and aims to determine the extent to which neurological and mental health sequelae are associated with survivors' disability. Participants include COVID-19 survivors, with no pre-morbid brain conditions, who were discharged from the COVID-19 Unit of the ASST Spedali Civili Hospital between February and April 2020. At an average of 3.5 months after discharge, they were submitted to a neurological examination and completed the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS-12), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Multivariable regression analysis was carried out to analyze variables that explain WHODAS-12 variation. In total, 83 patients (63 males, average age 66.9, 95% CI: 64.2-69.7) were enrolled; average WHODAS-12 was 13.2 (95% CI: 9.7-16.6). Cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, fatigue, and hyposmia/hypogeusia explained 28.8% of WHODAS-12 variation. These findings underline the importance and need for longitudinal follow-up assessments after recovery from COVID-19 and suggest the need for early rehabilitation of residual symptoms to enhance patients' functioning.