1 in 3 previous patients has neurological or psychiatric disorders

Source: Reuters

Translated by Les Crises readers

Scientists said, Tuesday, that in a survey conducted on more than 230,000 patients, most of them Americans, one in three Covid-19 survivors developed mental or brain disease within six months, indicating that the epidemic is suffering from a wave of mental problems. And nervous.

The researchers who conducted the study said that the link between the virus and mental disorders such as anxiety and depression was not clear, but that these were the most common diagnoses of the 14 problems they examined.

The researchers said post-COVID cases of stroke, dementia and other neurological conditions were rare, but still significant, especially in those who had contracted the severe COVID-19 virus.

“While the individual risk for most cases is low, the impact on the general population can be significant,” said Paul Harrison, professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, who co-led the work.

Max Tackett, who is also an Oxford psychiatrist who has worked with Harrison, said the study was not able to investigate biological or psychological mechanisms, but said that urgent research was needed to identify them “to discover. Prevent or cure.”

Health experts are increasingly concerned about the evidence of a higher risk of developing brain disorders and mental health in COVID-19 survivors. A previous study by the same researchers last year found that 20% of coronavirus survivors were diagnosed with a mental disorder within three months.

The new findings, published in Lancet Psychiatry, analyzed the medical records of 236,379 patients with COVID-19, most of them from the United States, and found that 34% of them developed neurological or psychiatric illnesses within six months.

According to the scientists, cases were more common in patients who had contracted COVID-19 compared to comparative groups of people who had recovered from influenza or other respiratory infections in the same period, indicating that the COVID-19 infection was suffering from a special disease. Effect.

Anxiety in 17% and mood disorders in 14% were the most common, and they did not appear to be associated with the severity of COVID infection, whether mild or severe.

Among those admitted to intensive care for severe COVID-19 infection, 7% had a stroke within six months and nearly 2% were diagnosed with dementia.

Independent experts said the results were worrying.

“This is a very important article.” Simon Wesley, chair of the chair of psychiatry at Kings College London, said he unequivocally affirmed that COVID-19 affects both the brain and the mind.

“The impact of COVID-19 on individuals’ mental health can be severe,” said Lea Milligan, executive director of research organization MQ Mental Health. This already contributes to a high level of mental illness and requires additional and urgent research. “

Source: Reuters, Kate Keeland 7 April 2021

Translated by Les Crises readers

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