Tracking cognitive trajectories in older survivors of COVID-19 up to 2.5 years post-infection, Liu et al, 2024

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that neurological and other post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 can persist beyond or develop following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

However, the long-term trajectories of cognitive change after a COVID-19 infection remain unclear.

Here we investigated cognitive changes over a period of 2.5 years among 1,245 individuals aged 60 years or older who survived infection with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain in Wuhan, China, and 358 uninfected spouses.

We show that the overall incidence of cognitive impairment among older COVID-19 survivors was 19.1% at 2.5 years after infection and hospitalization, evaluated using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-40.

Cognitive decline primarily manifested in individuals with severe COVID-19 during the initial year of infection, after which the rate of decline decelerated.

Severe COVID-19, cognitive impairment at 6 months and hypertension were associated with long-term cognitive decline.

These findings reveal the long-term cognitive trajectory of the disease and underscore the importance of post-infection cognitive care for COVID-19 survivors.


https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-024-00667-3

 

As someone who has had ME for thirty years, two and a half years does not very seem long-term to me.