Objective and subjective cognitive outcomes one year after COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Infectious Diseases
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Long COVID, or post-COVID-19 syndrome, is characterized by persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Cognitive, physical, and mental health sequelae require thorough evaluation one year after infection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess subjective and objective cognitive, physical, and mental health symptoms in COVID-19 survivors one year post-infection.
• To investigate the relationship between objective cognitive performance and subjective symptom reporting.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 74 COVID-19 patients assessed one year after infection.
• Neuropsychological testing evaluated memory, attention, and executive functions.
• Validated scales measured subjective attention deficits, mental health symptoms, and fatigue.

Main Results:

• Attention deficits were most prevalent (23%), followed by memory (15%) and executive function impairments (3%).
• High rates of reported fatigue (51%), anxiety (30%), and depression (15%) were observed.
• Subjective distractibility was significantly predicted by anxiety and fatigue, not objective attention performance.

Conclusions:

• One year post-COVID-19, attention deficits and symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are common.
• Subjective experiences of anxiety and fatigue have a greater impact on daily life impairments than objective cognitive deficits.