Cognitive dysfunctions in patients after coronavirus pneumonia with respiratory insufficiency

Persistent cognitive impairment is observed in a significant number of patients after coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Research is needed to study the structure of cognitive changes, the dynamics of their occurrence and the duration of their persistence. The purpose was to study the dynamics and structure of cognitive impairment in patients who had a moderate coronavirus infection within 12 months after discharge from the hospital. The study involved 200 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of a moderately severe novel coronavirus infection COVID-19, complicated by respiratory failure against the background of bilateral polysegmental viral pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2, aged 24 to 92 years. All patients were divided into two main groups by age: the first – persons under 65 years of age, the second – persons over 65 years of age, each group was divided into a subgroup by gender. Conducting a cognitive examination was carried out twice – 6 and 12 months after discharge from the hospital. Cognitive function was assessed using the modified Addenbrugs Cognitive Scale and frontal dysfunction test battery. All study participants had impairments in at least one cognitive domain, regardless of age and gender. The most vulnerable cognitive functions during coronavirus infection were the anterograde and retrograde components of memory and speech activity. The number of points for this domain ranged from 22,6 ± 2,5 to 17,6 ± 4,3. At the same time, the subjects showed a clear trend towards a gradual decrease in this function by 12 months after discharge from the hospital. Speech activity was significantly reduced in all age groups – in patients from the first group in dynamics, the average score was 11,2 ± 0,8 after 6 months and 9,9 ± 1,0 after 12 months, and in the second group 8,4 ± 2,1 points and 8,7 ± 2,2 points, respectively. Our study showed that after a coronavirus infection in the long term, serious cognitive impairments occur in both young and older patients.

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