Effect of Preinfection Health Status on COVID-19 Severity and Cognitive Function

This observational cohort study investigates how infection health factors influence COVID-19 severity and cognitive outcomes. We collected preinfection data from hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including demographic information and baseline health conditions prior to diagnosis, and examined their associations with hospitalization duration and cognitive function assessed after infection.

Data were obtained from Hui Ya Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China. The study included confirmed COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. Among the 147 collected cases, two were excluded due to missing data, leaving a final sample of 145 patients. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which evaluates global cognitive function with a total score of 0-30, was used to assess cognitive function, while hospitalization duration and routine clinical examinations were analyzed as indicators of disease severity. Additionally, the SF-12v2 score reflecting Health-Related Quality of Life was used to evaluate patients' overall health status. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify preinfection factors associated with COVID-19 outcomes.

Preinfection baseline health status was significantly correlated with both hospitalization duration (p < 0.0001, 95% CI [-0.47, -0.16]) and MoCA scores (p = 0.0001, 95% CI [0.15, 0.46]). Patients with better preinfection health conditions experienced shorter hospital stays and demonstrated better cognitive function postinfection.

Our findings indicate that preinfection baseline health conditions play a crucial role in determining both the severity of COVID-19 and postinfection cognitive function. Specifically, impairments were more pronounced in the visuospatial, naming, attention, calculation, language, and memory domains. Additionally, our results suggest a potential link between COVID-19 outcomes and patients' preexisting underlying diseases.