Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), Santiago, Chile.
Physiopathology Department - Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (LANNEC), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;98(2):691-698. doi: 10.3233/JAD-231310.
Previous studies reported the negative impact of social isolation on mental health in people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers, butlongitudinal studies seem scarcer.
To describe a one-year follow-up impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PwD and their caregivers in both Brazil and Chile.
This study analyzed the impact of the pandemic on the psychological and physical health of PwD and their family caregivers after one year of follow-up in three outpatient clinics in Brazil (n = 68) and Chile (n = 61).
In both countries, PwD reduced their functional capacity after one year of follow-up (p = 0.017 and p = 0.009; respectively) and caregivers reported worse physical and mental health (p = 0.028 and p = 0.039). Only in Chile, caregivers reported more sadness associated with care (p = 0.001), and reduced time sleeping (p = 0.07).
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a long-lasting impact on PwD and their caregivers. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the inherent progression of dementia itself may also influence changes observed over a year.
先前的研究报告称，社交隔离对痴呆症患者（PwD）及其照顾者的心理健康有负面影响，但纵向研究似乎较少。
描述 COVID-19 大流行对巴西和智利的 PwD 及其照顾者在一年随访期内的影响。
本研究分析了在巴西（n=68）和智利（n=61）的三个门诊诊所进行一年随访后，大流行对 PwD 及其家庭照顾者的心理健康和身体健康的影响。
在这两个国家，PwD 的功能能力在一年随访后都有所下降（p=0.017 和 p=0.009；分别），照顾者报告的身心健康状况更差（p=0.028 和 p=0.039）。仅在智利，照顾者报告了更多与照顾相关的悲伤（p=0.001），睡眠时间减少（p=0.07）。
总之，COVID-19 大流行似乎对 PwD 及其照顾者产生了持久的影响。然而，必须承认，痴呆症本身的固有进展也可能影响一年多来观察到的变化。
