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09-08-2023 | Long-COVID Syndrome | Original Communication

Characterizing long-COVID brain fog: a retrospective cohort study

Authors: Grace Y. Lam, Ronald W. Damant, Giovanni Ferrara, Rachel K. Lim, Michael K. Stickland, Natacha S. Ogando, Christopher Power, Maeve P. Smith

Published in: Journal of Neurology | Issue 10/2023

Abstract

Background

Long COVID or post-COVID condition (PCC) is a common complication following acute COVID-19 infection. PCC is a multi-systems disease with neurocognitive impairment frequently reported regardless of age. Little is known about the risk factors, associated biomarkers and clinical trajectory of patients with this symptom.

Objective

To determine differences in clinical risk factors, associated biochemical markers and longitudinal clinical trajectories between patients with PCC with subjective neurocognitive symptoms (NC+) or without (NC−).

Methods

A retrospective longitudinal cohort study was performed using a well-characterized provincial database of patients with clinically confirmed PCC separated into NC+ and NC− cohorts. Demographical, clinical and biochemical differences at initial consultation between the two patient cohorts were analyzed in cross-section. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify independent risk factors for neurocognitive impairment. Determination of the recovery trajectory was performed using serial assessments of the patient-reported health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) metric Eq-5D-5L-vas score.

Findings

Women, milder acute infection and pre-existing mental health diagnoses were independently associated with subjective neurocognitive impairment at 8 months post-infection. NC + patients demonstrated lower levels of IgG, IgG1 and IgG3 compared to NC− patients. The NC + cohort had poorer HR-QoL at initial consultation 8 months post-infection with gradual improvement over 20 months post-infection.

Conclusions

Neurocognitive impairment represents a severe phenotype of PCC, associated with unique risk factors, aberrancy in immune response and a delayed recovery trajectory. Those with risk factors for neurocognitive impairment can be identified early in the disease trajectory for more intense medical follow-up.

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Title: Characterizing long-COVID brain fog: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Grace Y. Lam
Ronald W. Damant
Giovanni Ferrara
Rachel K. Lim
Michael K. Stickland
Natacha S. Ogando
Christopher Power
Maeve P. Smith
Publication date: 09-08-2023
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Long-COVID Syndrome
Post-COVID Syndrome
Published in: Journal of Neurology / Issue 10/2023
Print ISSN: 0340-5354
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1459
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-11913-w

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Springer Medicine

Characterizing long-COVID brain fog: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background

Objective

Methods

Findings

Conclusions

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Objective

Methods

Findings

Conclusions

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