Electronic health records of over 1 million patients with a recorded diagnosis of COVID-19 were examined. Comparing these against patients with a diagnosis of a respiratory infection, they found that even after 2 years, patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were at increased risk of cognitive deficit, dementia, psychotic disorder, epilepsy or seizures.
They found that the risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders subsided after 2 years after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Differences in the health risks between ages (children and adults), and between variants of COVID-19 (delta and omicron) were also examined.
The authors concluded that further research, including longitudinal studies, are needed to be able to understand the possible mechanisms underlying these neurological and psychiatric consequences of COVID-19. They also commented on the importance of such findings for policy makers addressing the health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reference: Taquet, M., Sillett, R., Zhu, L., Mendel, J., Camplisson, I., Dercon, Q., et al. Neurological and psychiatric risk trajectories after SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis fo 2-year retrospective cohort studies including 1 284 437 patients. The Lancet Psychiatry, 9(10), 815-827.
Link: www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(22)00260-7/fulltext