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Updated April 7th, 2021 at 11:41 IST

COVID-19 survivors at higher risk of mental and neurological disorder: Study

Neurological or psychiatric diagnosis affected nearly 33·62 percent of the survivors, and mostly those that suffered from the severe COVID-19 infection.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Covid-19
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Coronavirus survivors are at a higher risk of mental and neurological disorders such as depression, anxiety, dementia, or psychosis as the disease affects both brain and mind in equal measure, a new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry that observed neurological and psychiatric outcomes in coronavirus patients for 6 months stated. Scientists found the disease impacted the brain in research that they conducted among 230,000 COVID-19 patients, mostly from the US. Patients who were hospitalized or were admitted to the intensive therapy unit (ITU) were at a higher risk of mental disorder and strokes. Scientists identified 14 neurological and psychiatric disorders in survivors 6 months after a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

  • Intracranial haemorrhage
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Strokes
  • Plexus disorders
  • Nerve root damage
  • Neuromuscular junction diseases 
  • Encephalitis or inflammation of brain tissue
  • Dementia
  • Psychotic
  • Mood disorder
  • Anxiety disorder
  • Insomnia
  • Depression

The neurological or psychiatric diagnosis affected nearly 33·62 percent of the survivors, and mostly those that suffered from the severe COVID-19 infection. At least 46·42 percent of patients who had been admitted to an ITU were detected with these symptoms after they had recovered an infection. Scientists found that the more severe COVID-19 disease a survivor had battled, the more likely it is that they would be diagnosed with the brain or neurological disorder. People infected with COVID-19 respiratory disease were 44 percent more at risk of developing psychological conditions than patients of other illnesses or normal flu. 

“The study confirms our suspicions that a Covid-19 diagnosis is not just related to respiratory symptoms, it is also related to psychiatric and neurological problems,” Prof Dame Til Wykes, Vice Dean Psychology and Systems Sciences,  King’s College London, said in the study.

 

“This is a robust piece of work in a large cohort demonstrating the association between COVID-19 and psychiatric and neurological complications. This is a very important topic as there has been considerable consternation regarding COVID-19 as a ‘brain disease’”, Dr Musa Sami, Clinical Associate Professor in Psychiatry, University of Nottingham, said. 

Anxiety and mood disorder 'most common' 

The most common mental disorder observed in the recovered COVID-19 patients six months down the line were anxiety and mood disorders, as well as depression. Scientists found the link between hospital admission, isolation, and the stress surrounding the treatment of the novel coronavirus as contributing factors that deteriorated mental health among survivors diagnosed with depression or anxiety. However, scientists could not determine exactly how coronavirus flared the neurological and mental health risks and its links directly to the human brain. At least 7 percent of the patients that suffered extreme infection suffered a stroke and nearly 2 percent of those that made it were diagnosed with dementia. 

“It is clear from this study that the impact COVID-19 is having on individuals' mental health can be severe. The PHOSP-COVID study, which was supported by MQ, also found that 25 percent of people were experiencing significant symptoms of anxiety and depression five months after leaving the hospital," Lea Milligan, CEO of MQ Mental Health research, said in the study. 

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Published April 7th, 2021 at 11:41 IST

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