There has been mounting evidence suggesting that patients infected with COVID-19 would experience an array of psychological symptoms or other kinds of neurological complications that could persist beyond the initial condition. To further explore the correlation, a study team in the UK had conducted a large-scale, population-level study to investigate the potential association between cognitive problems post-infection and the different levels of COVID-19 severity.

Between January and December 2020, 81,337 participants who completed a clinically validated assessment of cognitive performance and self-report questionnaire items reflecting suspected and confirmed COVID-19 infection were enrolled into the study. It was shown that people who had recovered from COVID-19, including the reportedly asymptomatic individuals, demonstrated significant cognitive deficits compared to controls, having accounted for other variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, and baseline medical conditions. Notably, the deficits carried substantial effect for hospitalised individuals (N=192) and non-hospitalised cases with biologically confirmed COVID-19 infection (N=326). Overall, the study results concord with the evidence suggesting that lingering cognitive problems exist in COVID-19-infected individuals, warranting greater clinical attention to better assist patients’ comprehensive recovery.

References

1. Hampshire A, et al. EClinicalMedicine. 2021;39:101044