Cognitive Complaints Assessment and Neuropsychiatric Disorders After Mild COVID-19 Infection

This study aimed to analyze cognitive impairment associated with long-term coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome and its correlation with anxiety, depression, and fatigue in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

This was a cross-sectional study of 127 patients with COVID-19. Tests to screen for neuropsychiatric symptoms included the Fatigue Severity Scale, Mini-Mental State Exam 2 (MMSE-2), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

In cognitive tests, SDMT was abnormal in 22%, being more sensitive than MMSE-2 to detect cognitive changes. Furthermore, although manifestations such as fatigue, depression, and anxiety were frequent in the post-COVID-19 phase, these 3 conditions, known to contribute to cognitive impairment, were slightly correlated with worse performance on the rapid screening tests.

In patients with mild COVID-19 and cognitive complaints, SDMT helped to confirm disturbances in the attention domain and processing speed.