Long COVID-19: Objectifying most self-reported neurological symptoms

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Infectious Diseases
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as Long COVID, affect both hospitalized and non-hospitalized individuals.
• Objective assessment of these long-term effects using standardized clinical measures is crucial for understanding disease impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectify and compare persistent self-reported symptoms in patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection based on initial hospitalization status.
• To identify clinical and neuroimaging differences between hospitalized and non-hospitalized Long COVID patients.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 50 adult patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistent symptoms.
• Utilized medical history, neurological exams, blood markers, neuropsychological testing, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and brain MRI.

Main Results:

• Mild cognitive deficits in attention, executive functions, and memory were observed in both groups.
• Hospitalized patients exhibited worse global cognition, logical reasoning, and verbal memory.
• Fatigue correlated with reduced cognitive performance and quality of life.
• Non-hospitalized patients reported more pronounced anxiety and depression.
• Brain MRI revealed microbleeds exclusively in hospitalized patients.

Conclusions:

• Long COVID can cause significant long-term mental and physical health impairments, regardless of initial COVID-19 severity.
• Clinical standard diagnostics reveal abnormalities primarily in hospitalized patients.
• Findings necessitate consideration for rehabilitation strategies and prompt new biomarker research.