Moderate, Little, or No Improvements in Neurobehavioral Symptoms among Individuals with Long COVID: A 34-Country Retrospective Study

Daniela Ramos-Usuga, Paul B. Perrin, Yelena Bogdanova, Laiene Olabarrieta-Landa, Elisabet Alzueta, Fiona C. Baker, Stella Iacovides, Mar Cortes and Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla ()
Additional contact information
Daniela Ramos-Usuga: Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country, Barrio Sarriena, s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Paul B. Perrin: Department of Psychology, School of Data Science, University of Virginia, 400 Brandon Ave., #177, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
Yelena Bogdanova: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130, USA
Laiene Olabarrieta-Landa: Health Sciences Department, Public University of Navarre (UPNA), Cataluña, s/n, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
Elisabet Alzueta: Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Fiona C. Baker: Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Stella Iacovides: School of Physiology, Brain Function Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Mar Cortes: Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY 10029, USA
Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla: Departments of Psychology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, 907 Floyd Ave, Richmond, VA 23284, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: (1) Background: Some people with COVID-19 develop a series of symptoms that last for several months after infection, known as Long COVID. Although these symptoms interfere with people’s daily functioning and quality of life, few studies have focused on neurobehavioral symptoms and the risk factors associated with their development; (2) Methods: 1001 adults from 34 countries who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 completed the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory reporting the symptoms before their COVID-19 diagnosis, during the COVID-19 infection, and currently; (3) Results: Participants reported large-sized increases before vs. during COVID-19 in all domains. Participants reported a medium-sized improvement (during COVID-19 vs. now) in somatic symptoms, a small-sized improvement in affective symptoms, and very minor/no improvement in cognitive symptoms. The risk factors for increased neurobehavioral symptoms were: being female/trans, unemployed, younger age, low education, having another chronic health condition, greater COVID-19 severity, greater number of days since the COVID-19 diagnosis, not having received oxygen therapy, and having been hospitalized. Additionally, participants from North America, Europe, and Central Asia reported higher levels of symptoms across all domains relative to Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa; (4) Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of evaluating and treating neurobehavioral symptoms after COVID-19, especially targeting the higher-risk groups identified. General rehabilitation strategies and evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation are needed in both the acute and Long COVID phases.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Long COVID; neurobehavioral symptoms; risk factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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