The world is still grappling with waves of new forms of Covid-19 infection about 600 million cases have been reported globally since the pandemic began. And the worrying thing is that things could get dire in the future. A new study has revealed a higher risk of neuropsychiatric disorders in a living population once infected with the virus.
According to the findings published in Lancet Psychiatry JournalCompared to people with other respiratory infections, people with COVID-19 are more vulnerable to neurological and psychiatric conditions such as dementia, psychosis, etc., even two years after diagnosis.
The study, conducted by researchers from Oxford University, analyzed data from nearly 1.28 million people diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 20, 2020 and April 13, 2022. The team compared the data with similar numbers of people with other respiratory infections.
The study looked at data from 14 neurological and psychiatric disorders. It was found that adults after COVID-19 had an increased risk of mood disorders or anxiety, but returned to a baseline similar to those with other respiratory infections within about two months. However, the likelihood of cognitive deficits, also known as brain fog, dementia, psychotic disorders and epilepsy or seizures, was still high two years after the first round of infection.
The researchers categorized the patients studied into three age categories: children under the age of 18, adults in the 18-64 year-old category, and adults over the age of 65.
Increase in the incidence of dementia in COVID-19-infected
Among major illnesses, adults over 64 years of age infected with COVID-19 experienced a higher risk of cognitive deficits (15.4 percent) than those with other respiratory infections (12.3 percent). Similarly, those in the same age group infected with COVID-19 were 1.2 percentage points more likely to have dementia. Studies show that the incidence of insomnia, mental disorders etc. has also increased among infected older adults.
Worryingly, children infected with COVID-19 are more likely to develop epilepsy or seizures than children with other respiratory infections. Children with COVID-19 had a 2.6 percent risk of epilepsy or seizures compared to children with other respiratory infections (1.3 percent).
Speaking to India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit, Professor Rajesh Sagar, Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS New Delhi said, “India has seen such disorders in patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and there was a high prevalence of such conditions, Especially during the second wave (delta) that blew up the country mercilessly.” He said that apart from the direct impact of COVID-19, indirect factors like job loss, financial crisis, school closures etc. have also increased such diseases.
risk by type
The study compared the risk of disorders during the emergence of different forms of COVID-19 and found similar neurological and psychiatric outcomes during delta and omicron waves.
The silver lining in the study is the shorter duration of depression and anxiety-like disorders diagnosed after COVID-19. At the same time, conditions like dementia, cognitive deficit etc. are more likely to be found even after two years of Kovid-19 infection.
Earlier studies indicated as much
A similar study last year by the same team from Oxford University showed that one in three people, or 33.62 percent, infected with COVID-19 experience a mood disorder, stroke or dementia. six months after infection,
The report also pointed out that 12.84 per cent or nearly one in eight Covid-19 infected had experienced such disorders for the first time six months after testing positive.
A separate study published last year bounce was found in the lancet Illnesses such as major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders account for 28 percent and 26 percent globally due to COVID-19. However, for India, the jump in the incidence of both disorders was 35 per cent, much higher than the global average.
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