The post COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is an emerging phenomenon worldwide
with enormous socioeconomic impact. While many patients describe
neuropsychiatric deficits, the symptoms are yet to be assessed and defined
systematically. In this prospective cohort study, we report on the results of
a neuropsychiatric consultation implemented in May 2021. A cohort of 105
consecutive patients with merely mild acute course of disease was identified
by its high symptom load 6 months post infection using a standardized
neurocognitive and psychiatric-psychosomatic assessment. In this cohort, we
found a strong correlation between higher scores in questionnaires for fatigue
(MFI-20), somatization (PHQ15) and depression (PHQ9) and worse functional
outcome as measured by the post COVID functional scale (PCFS). In contrast,
neurocognitive scales correlated with age, but not with PCFS. Standard
laboratory and cardiopulmonary biomarkers did not differ between the group
of patients with predominant neuropsychiatric symptoms and a control
group of neuropsychiatrically unaffected PCS patients. Our study delineates
a phenotype of PCS dominated by symptoms of fatigue, somatisation
and depression. The strong association of psychiatric and psychosomatic
symptoms with the PCFS warrants a systematic evaluation of psychosocial side
effects of the pandemic itself and psychiatric comorbidities on the long-term
outcome of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:90432 |
| Date | 11 March 2024 |
| Creators | Lier, Julia, Stoll, Kristin, Obrig, Hellmuth, Baum, Paul, Deterding, Lea, Bernsdorff, Nora, Hermsdorf, Franz, Kunis, Ines, Bräsecke, Andrea, Herzig, Sabine, Schroeter, Matthias L., Thöne-Otto, Angelika, Riedel-Heller, Steffi G., Laufs, Ulrich, Wirtz, Hubert, Classen, Joseph, Saur, Dorothee |
| Publisher | Frontiers Research Foundation |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 1664-2295, 10.3389/fneur.2022.988359 |
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