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. 2022 Aug 11:jnnp-2021-328516.
doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2021-328516. Online ahead of print.

Comorbidity of long COVID and psychiatric disorders after a hospitalisation for COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Matthieu Gasnier  1   2 , Walid Choucha  1   2 , Francois Radiguer  3 , Theo Faulet  1   2 , Kenneth Chappell  1   2 , Aurore Bougarel  1 , Christian Kondarjian  1 , Paul Thorey  1 , Antoine Baldacci  1 , Maryne Ballerini  1 , Abd El Kader Ait Tayeb  1   2 , Hugo Herrero  1   2 , Isabelle Hardy-Leger  4 , Olivier Meyrignac  5 , Luc Morin  6 , Anne-Lise Lecoq  7 , Tài Pham  8 , Nicolas Noel  4 , Fabrice Jollant  1   2 , David Montani  9 , Xavier Monnet  9 , Laurent Becquemont  2   7 , Emmanuelle Corruble  10   2 , Romain Colle  1   2 ; COMEBAC study group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Comorbidity of long COVID and psychiatric disorders after a hospitalisation for COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Matthieu Gasnier et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Objectives: Long COVID is a major public health issue. Whether long COVID is comorbid with psychiatric disorders remains unclear. Here, we investigate the association between long COVID, psychiatric symptoms and psychiatric disorders.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Settings: Bicêtre Hospital, France, secondary care.

Participants: One hundred seventy-seven patients admitted in intensive care unit during acute phase and/or reporting long COVID complaints were assessed 4 months after hospitalisation for an acute COVID.

Main outcome measures: Eight long COVID complaints were investigated: fatigue, respiratory and cognitive complaints, muscle weakness, pain, headache, paraesthesia and anosmia. The number of complaints, the presence/absence of each COVID-19 complaint as well as lung CT scan abnormalities and objective cognitive impairment) were considered. Self-reported psychiatric symptoms were assessed with questionnaires. Experienced psychiatrists assessed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition-based diagnoses of psychiatric disorders.

Results: One hundred and fifteen (65%) patients had at least one long COVID complaint. The number of long COVID complaints was associated with psychiatric symptoms. The number of long COVID complaints was higher in patients with psychiatric disorders (mean (m) (SD)=2.47 (1.30), p<0.05), new-onset psychiatric disorders (m (SD)=2.41 (1.32), p<0.05) and significant suicide risk (m (SD)=2.67 (1.32), p<0.05) than in patients without any psychiatric disorder (m (SD)=1.43 (1.48)). Respiratory complaints were associated with a higher risk of psychiatric disorder and new-onset psychiatric disorder, and cognitive complaints were associated with a higher risk of psychiatric disorder.

Conclusions: Long COVID is associated with psychiatric disorders, new-onset psychiatric disorders and suicide risk. Psychiatric disorders and suicide risk should be systematically assessed in patients with long COVID.

Keywords: COVID-19; behavioural disorder; depression; psychiatry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at http://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/ and declare: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous 3 years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. NN reported personal fees from MSD and Biogen outside the submitted work. DM reported personal fees from Actelion, GSK, Pfizer, MSD, Chiesi, Boehringer and Incyte Biosciences France, grants from Bayer and MSD and non-financial support from Acceleron outside the submitted work. XM reported personal fees from Getinge Pulsion Medical and Baxter outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported. LB reported grants from Sanofi Genzyme for a presentation concerning Gaucher disease, and pharmacogenetics and drug interactions with Eliglustat outside the submitted work.

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