One-Third of COVID Survivors Were Later Diagnosed With Mental Health or Neurological Issues

A study published in Lancet Psychiatry of more than 236,000 recovered COVID patients found that many had mood disorders, insomnia, and even stroke and dementia, reports People . Patients were mainly based in the United States, and 34 percent were diagnosed with a neurological or psychological condition within six months. Of the 14 conditions observed, anxiety was the most frequent diagnosis, found in 17 percent of subjects, followed by mood disorders in 14 percent. Seven percent had substance misuse disorders and 5 percent had insomnia. Severe neurological conditions like stroke and dementia also occurred, although they were rare: in the cohort that had been hospitalized with the virus, 7 percent suffered a stroke during the following six months and nearly 2 percent developed dementia. Most patients who had neurological conditions following their illness had been hospitalized, indicating they had a severe case of the virus, but many had milder cases that were treated at home. In comparing the health records from COVID-19 patients to subjects who had other respiratory illnesses during the same time span, the researchers learned that COVID survivors were 44 percent more likely to develop mental health conditions than flu patients, and 16 percent more likely than people with other respiratory tract infections.