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Aging Clin Exp Res
. 2022 Jan 11.
doi: 10.1007/s40520-021-02042-3. Online ahead of print.
Premorbid vulnerability and disease severity impact on Long-COVID cognitive impairment
Viviana Cristillo 1 , Andrea Pilotto 2 , Stefano Cotti Piccinelli 2 , Giulio Bonzi 2 , Antonio Canale 3 , Stefano Gipponi 2 , Michela Bezzi 4 , Matilde Leonardi 5 , Alessandro Padovani 2 , Neuro Covid Next Study group
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 35014002
- DOI: 10.1007/s40520-021-02042-3
Abstract
Background: Cognitive deficits have been increasingly reported as possible long-term manifestations after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Aims: In this study we aimed at evaluating the factors associated with cognitive deficits 6 months after hospitalization for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Methods: One hundred and six patients, discharged from a pneumology COVID-19 unit between March 1 and May 30 2020, accepted to be evaluated at 6 months according to an extensive neurological protocol, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
Results: Abnormal MoCA scores at 6 months follow-up were associated with higher pre-hospitalization National Health System (NHS) score (Duca et al. in Emerg Med Pract 22:1-2, 2020) (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.05-1.6; p = 0.029) and more severe pulmonary disease expressed by the Brescia-COVID Respiratory Severity Scale (Duca et al. in Emerg Med Pract 22:1-2, 2020) (BCRSS > 1OR 4.73; 95% CI 1.53-14.63; p = 0.003) during the acute phase of the disease.
Discussion: This longitudinal study showed that the severity of COVID-19, indicated by BCRSS, and a complex score given by age and premorbid medical conditions, expressed by NHS, play a major role in modulating the long-term cognitive consequences of COVID-19 disease.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that the association of age and premorbid factors might identify people at risk for long-term neurological consequences of COVID-19 disease, thus deserving longer and proper follow-up.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cognitive functions; Long-COVID; Neurology.