Mortazavi Shahrzad, Rashedi Vahid, Cheraghian Bahman, Pourshams Fatemeh, Saeidimehr Saeid, Dehghan Bahram, Pourshams Maryam
Department of Psychiatry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Iranian Research Center on Aging, Department of Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2024 May 8;19:100238. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100238. eCollection 2024 Aug.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted the older adult population globally. This study aimed to investigate cognitive function and its relationship with inflammation in older COVID-19 survivors over a three-month follow-up to address concerns about cognitive impairment and its risk factors.
In this descriptive-analytical study, 177 hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged >60 were assessed from July 2021 to February 2022. Psychiatric, global cognitive assessments and activities of daily living were conducted at discharge, 1 month, and 3 months post-discharge. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 24. The evolution of cognitive status over time was evaluated using the Repeated Measures Test. The study probed into the association between inflammatory markers and cognitive function through the Pearson correlation test and the Mann-Whitney test. Additionally, the link between anxiety/depression and cognitive performance was examined using the Pearson correlation.
Results indicated that higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) were correlated to reduced cognitive performance. Conversely, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK) did not exhibit a significant relationship with cognitive scores. A positive correlation was observed between improved cognitive function (reflected by higher GPCOG scores) and lower levels of anxiety and depression (indicated by lower scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Over the study period, cognitive function and anxiety scores showed an upward trend, whereas symptoms of depression and challenges in daily activities remained consistent.
The study highlights the enduring effects and detrimental role of inflammation on overall cognitive abilities among older survivors of COVID-19. It underscores the urgent need for specialized interventions and rehabilitative strategies to facilitate sustained cognitive recuperation among these individuals.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行对全球老年人群产生了重大影响。本研究旨在调查老年COVID-19幸存者在三个月随访期间的认知功能及其与炎症的关系，以解决对认知障碍及其风险因素的担忧。
在这项描述性分析研究中，对2021年7月至2022年2月期间177名年龄大于60岁的住院COVID-19患者进行了评估。在出院时、出院后1个月和3个月进行了精神、整体认知评估和日常生活活动评估。使用SPSS 24版进行统计分析。使用重复测量检验评估认知状态随时间的演变。通过Pearson相关检验和Mann-Whitney检验探讨炎症标志物与认知功能之间的关联。此外，使用Pearson相关分析检查焦虑/抑郁与认知表现之间的联系。
结果表明，较高水平的C反应蛋白（CRP）、D-二聚体和乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）与认知能力下降相关。相反，红细胞沉降率（ESR）和肌酸磷酸激酶（CPK）与认知得分没有显著关系。观察到改善的认知功能（以较高的GPCOG分数反映）与较低的焦虑和抑郁水平（以医院焦虑和抑郁量表较低分数表示）之间存在正相关。在研究期间，认知功能和焦虑得分呈上升趋势，而抑郁症状和日常活动中的挑战保持不变。
该研究强调了炎症对COVID-19老年幸存者整体认知能力的持久影响和有害作用。它强调了迫切需要专门的干预措施和康复策略，以促进这些个体的持续认知恢复。
