Post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms in India: Prevalence, risk factors, and persistence.

BACKGROUND

The global research has actively investigated the post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms (PCNS). There is a paucity of studies from India that explore long-term PCNS.

AIM: This study aims to estimate prevalence, types of PCNS, associated factors (sociodemographic factors, life events, COVID-19-related variables, and vaccination status) and persistence of PCNS after two years.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to October 2023 in a tertiary care hospital. A total of 2,281 randomly selected individuals with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-positive for COVID-19 were screened for PCNS. Among 927 participants consented to and completed the telephonic screening for PCNS. Structured clinical interviews for DSM-5-Research Version and World Health Organization-Post-COVID Case Report Form were applied. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Median age of individuals was 34 years, and 51.3% being female. Only 21.6% had lifetime PCNS, and 7.3% had persistent PCNS at two years of COVID-19. The common lifetime PCNS were persistent fatigue (15.6%), reduced smell (5.9%), reduced taste (4.8%), anxiety (4.3%), insomnia (3.6%), depressed mood (2.6%), cognitive symptoms (2.6%), and persistent muscle pain (2.6%). The logistic regression analysis revealed a positive association of lifetime PCNS with female gender, preexisting medical comorbidities, symptomatic COVID-19, oxygen supplementation, repeated infections, and life events. Full or partially vaccinated against COVID-19 appeared to be protective against PCNS.

CONCLUSION

About one in five individuals developed lifetime PCNS following COVID. Among them, one in three had persistent PCNS after two years of COVID. Female gender, life events, severity of COVID-19, repeated infection, and Vaccine-naïve status were associated with the development of PCNS.