Cognitive symptoms common with post-COVID-19 condition, study finds

For individuals with post-COVID-19 condition, cognitive symptoms are common, according to a study published online Feb. 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Abhishek Jaywant, Ph.D., from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and colleagues examined the prevalence of self-reported cognitive symptoms in post-COVID-19 condition compared to individuals with prior acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection who did not develop post-COVID-19 condition. Data were included for 14,767 individuals reporting test-confirmed COVID-19 illness at least two months before completing an internet survey.

The researchers found that 56.7 percent of the 1,683 individuals reporting post-COVID-19 condition and 27.1 percent of those who did not report post-COVID-19 condition reported at least one cognitive symptom experienced daily. More daily cognitive symptoms were associated with increased odds of at least moderate interference with functioning (adjusted odds ratio, 1.30), reduced odds of full-time employment (adjusted odds ratio, 0.92), and greater severity of depression symptoms (adjusted coefficient, 1.27).

Associations were also seen for cognitive symptoms and at least moderate interference with everyday functioning and lower odds of full-time employment after including depressive symptoms in regression models (adjusted odds ratios, 1.27 and 0.92, respectively).

"In light of their marked association with poorer functioning and quality of life, these symptoms represent important targets for assessment and identifying scalable interventions to remediate cognitive dysfunction in post-COVID-19 condition," the authors write.