Cognitive impairments, depression and quality of life 1 year after COVID-19 hospital discharge

OpenAlex İngilizce

Purpose: Following the acute stage of COVID-19, many patients have experienced persistent physical and neuropsychiatric symptoms, regardless of the severity of the illness. Key concerns like fatigue, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairments have a detrimental effect on psychosocial functioning and quality of life. This study aims to explore cognitive impairments and depression one year after discharge from the hospital for COVID-19, along with implications for quality of life. Materials and Methods: Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with mild-moderate disease severity were asked to participate in a 12-month follow-up evaluation. A total of 60 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 were examined for cognitive functions, depressive symptoms, and quality of life. They were then compared to a healthy comparison group, matched for age and education, who had not been infected with COVID-19. Results: After 1 year following discharge, cognitive impairment was noted in 21.7% of COVID-19 patients, based on The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, while only 3.3% of the non-COVID-19 control group exhibited the same. Quality of life domains were largely comparable across groups. Depressive symptoms were identified as the main factor affecting quality of life domains in COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Despite the potential for cognitive impairment to last for up to a year following hospital discharge, it does not seem to have a negative effect on the quality of life in our group of patients with mild-to-moderate disease severity. However, depressive symptoms were found to be the key indicators of quality of life.