COVID-19: Study Shows That COVID-19 Infections Could Lead To Delirium, PTSD and Other Psychiatric Disorders
Source: COVID-19 News May 19, 2020 3 years, 11 months, 1 week, 1 day, 6 hours, 40 minutes ago
COVID-19: Researchers from University College of London Institute of Mental Health in collaboration with King's College London have disclosed that based on their analysis of past research, individuals infected by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus may suffer psychiatric issues while hospitalized and potentially even after they recover.
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Their research findings which were published in journal
: The Lancet Psychiatry, collated data from short- and long-term studies of individuals hospitalized by recent coronaviruses, namely Severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS in 2002-2004, Middle East respiratory syndrome or MERS in 2012, as well as COVID-19 this year.
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanpsy/PIIS2215-0366(20)30203-0.pdf
The research analysis found that one in four individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 may experience delirium during their illness, a known problem among hospital patients, which can increase risk of death or extend time in hospital.
However, the post-recovery effects of COVID-19 are not yet known, so long-term risks such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety are based on SARS and MERS studies, which may or may not apply to COVID-19 as well.
Dr Jonathan Rogers (UCL Psychiatry and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) an dco-author of the study told Thailand Medical News, "Most people with COVID-19 will not develop any mental health problems, even among those with severe cases requiring hospitalization, but given the huge numbers of people getting sick, the global impact on mental health could be considerable. Our research analysis focuses on potential mental health risks of being hospitalized with a coronavirus infection, and how psychiatric conditions could worsen the prognosis or hold people back from returning to their normal lives after recovering."
The research team analyzed 65 peer-reviewed studies and seven recent pre-prints that are awaiting peer review, which included data from over 3,500 individuals who have had one of the three related illnesses. The review only included results from individuals who were hospitalized, and not individuals with more mild cases. The findings cover both acute symptoms during the illness, and long-term outcomes from two months to 12 years.
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It was found that almost one in three individuals hospitalized with SARS or MERS went on to develop PTSD, at an average follow-up time of almost three years, especially if they had ongoing physical health problems. Rates of depression and anxiety were also high, at roughly 15% one year or longer after the illness, with a further 15% also exp
eriencing some symptoms of depression and anxiety without a clinical diagnosis. More than 15% also experienced chronic fatigue, mood swings, sleep disorder or impaired concentration and memory.
While hospitalized, a substantial minority of individuals with coronavirus infections experienced delirium symptoms such as confusion, agitation and altered consciousness.
Significantly,almost 28% of people hospitalized for SARS and MERS experienced confusion, and early evidence from the ongoing pandemic suggests that delirium could be similarly common in COVID-19 patients.
The researchers also found some preliminary evidence that delirium may have been associated with raised mortality during the MERS outbreak.
Dr Edward Chesney (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) who is the other co-author of the study said, "We need more research on how to prevent mental health problems in the long term. One possibility might be to reduce social isolation by allowing patients to communicate with their loved ones by using video links."
The new research also identified some of the risk factors associated with worse mental health outcomes. Researchers found that worrying a lot about the illness was associated with worse mental health in the long run, and healthcare workers had worse long-term mental health outcomes than other groups, while making a good physical recovery predicted better long-term mental health.
Professor Anthony David (UCL Institute of Mental Health) who is senior author, said: "To avoid a large-scale mental health crisis, we hope that individuals who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 will be offered support, and monitored after they recover to ensure they do not develop mental illnesses, and are able to access treatment if needed. While most individuals with COVID-19 will recover without experiencing mental illness, we need to research which factors may contribute to enduring mental health problems, and develop interventions to prevent and treat them."
The researchers are advocating that health authorities globally ensure that all recovered COVID-19 patients undergo routine mental health screenings on a frequent basis.
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