COVID-19: Many patients have been found to have long-lasting symptoms of COVID-19, often referred to as long COVID. Psychiatric symptoms are commonly seen in long-term COVID patients and can last for weeks, even months, after recovery. However, the symptoms and risk factors associated with it are not clear.
To understand, researchers from Padjadjaran University in Indonesia conducted a meta-analysis of 23 studies published from January 2020 to October 2021, covering 13 countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
The findings, published in the journal PLOS One, showed that anxiety was the most prevalent symptom among participants with long COVID, followed by depression, difficulty sleeping and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Meanwhile, cognitive deficits, obsessive-compulsive and somatic symptoms were the least reported.
Women and those with a history of psychiatric diagnosis were at greater risk for these symptoms.
Sleep difficulty, poor sleep quality, and insomnia were also commonly observed. Besides being female, obesity was also one of the risk factors for sleep difficulties.
The researchers noted that physical and mental symptoms may be correlated.
The researchers, including Shelly Iskandar from the university’s Department of Psychiatry, wrote in the paper, “Mental health issues in long-term COVID patients were known to be associated with persistent physical symptoms, such as myalgia and shortness of breath.”
“It can be bidirectional. Physical symptoms can result in psychiatric symptoms and psychiatric symptoms can appear as physical symptoms.”
The authors said that these covid-related psychiatric complications could become a long-term public health burden.
“This situation should be considered as a possible cause of a delayed epidemic in the medium to long term,” they wrote. “Therefore, it is recommended to closely monitor people who experience prolonged Covid over a long period of time.”
Most of the studies included in the meta-analysis relied on self-report questionnaires, and the authors noted the study design and the heterogeneous nature of the results, both of which they said could complicate interpretation of the results.