Cognitive Deficits among Individuals Admitted to a Post-Acute Pneumological Rehabilitation Unit in Southern Italy after COVID-19 Infection

Lagravinese, Gianvito, Castellana, Giorgio, Castellana, Fabio, Genco, Maddalena, Petrelli, Rita, Ruccia, Maria, Aliani, Maria, Carone, Mauro, Sardone, Rodolfo ORCID: 0000-0003-1383-1850 and Battista, Petronilla (2023) Cognitive Deficits among Individuals Admitted to a Post-Acute Pneumological Rehabilitation Unit in Southern Italy after COVID-19 Infection. BRAIN SCIENCES, 13 (1). 84-.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13010084

Abstract

(1) Background: We investigated the differences in the neuropsychological profile as well as the pneumological and motor functions in two groups of patients admitted to rehabilitation who received different respiratory support during their COVID-19 infection. (2) Methods: Group-1 (<i>n</i> = 18; 15 male, median age 67.5) consisted of patients who received non-invasive mechanical ventilation; Group-2 (<i>n</i> = 19; 16 male, median age 63) consisted of patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation. All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (R-BANS) to evaluate the patients' cognition. Depression and anxiety were also measured at admission and discharge to rehabilitation. (3) Results: At admission, patients impaired at MMSE were 44% in Group-1 and 5% in Group-2, while patients impaired at FAB were 88% in Group-1 and 26% in Group-2. Wilcoxon's effect size revealed meaningful differences between groups for FAB, R-BANS global score, immediate and delayed memory, and attention-coding task, with Group-2 performing better than Group-1 across all measures. At discharge, 52% of the 25 patients re-assessed still had mild to moderate cognitive deficits, while 19% had depression and 35% had anxiety. (4) Conclusions: Patients who received oxygen therapy experienced higher levels of acute and chronic stress compared to those who benefitted from invasive mechanical ventilation. Despite patients showing a meaningful improvement at discharge, cognitive impairment persisted in a great number of patients; therefore, long-term neuropsychological follow-up and treatment for COVID-19 patients are recommended.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	neuropsychological assessment, neurorehabilitation, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, cognitive disorders, respiratory medicine
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	01 Feb 2023 11:08
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2023 10:16
DOI:	10.3390/brainsci13010084
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13010084
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168064