Cognitive impairment in long-COVID and its association with persistent dysregulation in inflammatory markers

Rodolfo Furlan Damiano, Cristiana Castanho de Almeida Rocca, Antonio de Pádua Serafim, Jennifer M. Loftis, Leda Leme Talib, Pedro Mário Pan, Edecio Cunha-Neto, Jorge Kalil, Gabriela Salim de Castro, Marilia Seelaender, Bruno F. Guedes, Suely K. Nagahashi Marie, Heraldo Possolo de Souza, Ricardo Nitrini, Euripedes Constantino Miguel, Geraldo Busatto, Orestes V. Forlenza

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the potential impact of sociodemographic, clinical and biological factors on the long-term cognitive outcome of patients who survived moderate and severe forms of COVID-19. Methods: We assessed 710 adult participants (Mean age = 55 ± 14; 48.3% were female) 6 to 11 months after hospital discharge with a complete cognitive battery, as well as a psychiatric, clinical and laboratory evaluation. A large set of inferential statistical methods was used to predict potential variables associated with any long-term cognitive impairment, with a focus on a panel of 28 cytokines and other blood inflammatory and disease severity markers. Results: Concerning the subjective assessment of cognitive performance, 36.1% reported a slightly poorer overall cognitive performance, and 14.6% reported being severely impacted, compared to their pre-COVID-19 status. Multivariate analysis found sex, age, ethnicity, education, comorbidity, frailty and physical activity associated with general cognition. A bivariate analysis found that G-CSF, IFN-alfa2, IL13, IL15, IL1.RA, EL1.alfa, IL45, IL5, IL6, IL7, TNF-Beta, VEGF, Follow-up C-Reactive Protein, and Follow-up D-Dimer were significantly (p<.05) associated with general cognition. However, a LASSO regression that included all follow-up variables, inflammatory markers and cytokines did not support these findings. Conclusion: Though we identified several sociodemographic characteristics that might protect against cognitive impairment following SARS-CoV-2 infection, our data do not support a prominent role for clinical status (both during acute and long-stage of COVID-19) or inflammatory background (also during acute and long-stage of COVID-19) to explain the cognitive deficits that can follow COVID-19 infection.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number1174020
JournalFrontiers in immunology
Volume14
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS- CoV-2
  • cognition
  • cohort study (or longitudinal study)
  • inflammation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

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