Long-COVID Study; A Lingering Issue for Mental Healthcare

March 23, 2022 - Participants in a recent study from the University of Cambridge are revealing troubling signs of the long-term effects that the coronavirus can have on mental health. The research published last week monitored the symptoms of 181 long-COVID patients for 18 months; results showed that 70% of patients had memory problems and difficulty concentrating months after their initial infection.

The study compared a control group to those suffering from long-COVID and found that the experimental group performed worse on cognitive tests. Most patients in the study group had contracted the coronavirus six months before the study period, and few were hospitalized for their illness.

Long-COVID’s measurable effects were shown in test results where 69% of patients reported brain fog, 68% reported forgetfulness, and 60% reported difficulty finding the right words in speech. Another 75% of participants with severe symptoms had described extended periods of being unable to work.

Researchers conducting the study alluded to the seriousness of the findings, given the estimate that 10–25% of those infected with COVID-19 go on to suffer from some level of chronic illness. “This is important evidence that when people say they’re having cognitive difficulties post-COVID, these are not necessarily the result of anxiety or depression. The effects are measurable — something concerning is happening,” said Dr. Muzaffer Kaser, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry.

The study also revealed that half of the patients with long-COVID had difficulties getting professionals to take them seriously. This trend is seen elsewhere with patients suffering from the disease, and it is a detriment to health equity for the large number of patients dealing with the sometimes confusing condition.

Incidentally, long-COVID can present itself in different ways, usually depending on the severity of the initial infection. Patients who receive intensive care and remain bed-bound for extended periods may experience brain dysfunction and physical issues associated with chronic hospitalization or the effects of the infection. Other patients with less severe disease can exhibit lingering symptoms due to damage caused by the initial illness or produced by interactions between inflammatory responses and the immune system.

Current treatments for the prolonged disease include behavioral health therapy, physical therapy, or occupational therapy. Doctors also sometimes prescribe medications to treat long-COVID, but the disease presents itself differently between patients and may be handled in an individual manner.

To monitor patients recovering from long-COVID, some doctors are employing remote patient monitoring capabilities. Tracking vital signs and fluctuations in a patient’s condition throughout the day can help doctors learn more about the symptoms of long-COVID and its manifestation in the body.

One recent study found that patients who had received one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine were ten times less likely to report long-COVID symptoms compared to unvaccinated individuals. The same study found that people who received the vaccine up to eight weeks after being infected with COVID-19 were three times less likely to report symptoms of long-COVID.

For patients, the American Rescue Plan requires that states cover the treatment of long-COVID without cost-sharing. The language of the law describes the condition as a range of symptoms lasting weeks or months after infection. Additionally, under Title II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, long-COVID can be defined as a disability for which a patient can receive long-term benefits.

The CURES Act 2.0 would initiate a study into the long-term effects of COVID-19 by using funds to research long-COVID patients and the pathology of the disease, which is still not well understood in 2022.