Mental health toll of half Covid in-patients
MORE than half of people hospitalised with Covid develop cognitive and mental health problems.
Symptoms range from loss of memory and impaired sight to anxiety and depression. One in five was left with PTSD – posttraumatic stress disorder.
Worryingly, three-quarters of younger patients are affected, which could impact careers, researchers found.
Professor Massimo Filippi, of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Italy, said problems persist several months after apparent recovery.
Apart from PTSD, a sixth had “the blues” within eight weeks of being discharged.
The research adds to growing evidence that long-term effects on the brain are common complications.
Prof Filippi said: “A particularly alarming finding is the changes to ‘executive function’ we found, which can make it difficult for people to concentrate, plan, think flexibly and remember things.
Shock
“These symptoms affected three in four younger patients who were of a working age.”
The shock findings are based on an analysis of tests and MRI brain scans of dozens of patients in Italy.
More than half experienced cognitive disturbances, 16 per cent had problems with socalled executive function and six per cent issues with memory or judging depth and contrast in images.
One in four manifested a combination of all these difficulties.
Problems were much worse in the younger groups, with most under 50s demonstrating loss of executive functions.
Greater severity of acute respiratory Covid symptoms, such as lung damage and weakened breathing, increased the risk.
After 10 months, rates of cognitive disturbances among the participants fell from 53 to 36 per cent. But there was no difference in the presence of PTSD and depressive symptoms.
The researchers called for larger studies and longer-term follow ups.
The findings were in one of four papers presented at the European Academy of Neurology on mental problems after Covid.
Dr Mattia Pozzato, of the Policlinico Hospital, Milan, found 77 per cent of patients reported at least one symptom.
Almost half (46 per cent) presented with more than three symptoms five to 10 months after admission.
The most common were insomnia (66 per cent), daytime sleepiness (46 per cent) and walking difficulties. There were also cases of headaches, reduced smell and loss of taste.
Overall, nine in 10 had post-Covid symptoms with neurological problems playing a significant role.
Prof Tamara Mischenko, a psychologist at Karazin University, Ukraine, found 95 per cent of 42 hospitalised Covid patients aged 32 to 54 had “neurocognitive” impairment two to four months later. All suffered from irritability, poor sleep, increased fatigue and anxiety or depression.
Other symptoms included balance disorders (59 per cent), headaches (50 per cent) and loss of smell (19 per cent). Five also suffered strokes.
A study which looked at tissue samples from patients who died showed a high rate of “neurodegenerative” diseases.
Dr Tommaso Bocci, a neurologist at the University of Milan, said it is the first clinical evidence of the virus affecting the brain stem.
Strokes
Last month a global study of patients hospitalised with Covid found eight in 10 were left with brain damage.
Symptoms ranged from headaches and loss of sense of smell or taste to comas and strokes. Those affected were six times more likely to die from the infection, said the US-led team.
Covid even directly attacked the brain, causing meningitis and inflammation.
A British and US team have launched a research project to see if it increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.