Even in people not needing hospitalisation while infected with Covid-19, serious health issues related to mental health could persist, or pop up, in the weeks and months following the acute stage, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The researchers said the reasons for the increased mental health risks after COVID are not completely clear. Biologic changes may occur in the body that affect the brain, and nonbiologic changes such as social isolation and trauma may also be at play.
Researchers with the VA St. Louis Health Care System found this as they focused on mental health disorders following COVID-19 infection. They said that the reasons for the increased mental health risks after COVID are not completely clear. Biologic changes may occur in the body that affect the brain, and nonbiologic changes such as social isolation and trauma may also be at play.
Led by principal investigator Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, who heads up both the Clinical Epidemiology Center and the Research and Development Service at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, the researchers found increased risks of conditions such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and substance use disorders.
For many people, Covid-19 infection comes with only mild or moderate symptoms, such as an irksome cough and shortness of breath that last for a few days. But this first phase can be the “tip of the iceberg,” according to Al-Aly. “Those who go on to experience serious chronic consequences—effects that commonly last a lifetime—are the ones who will bear the scars of this pandemic,” he said.
Studies by Al-Aly and others have shown that long Covid can affect nearly every organ system. “People return to their doctor with fatigue, brain fog, amnesia, strokes, new-onset diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and more,” the physician-researcher says.
“We’ve all suffered some sort of distress from this pandemic—maybe a measure of anxiety or difficulty sleeping,” said lead investigator Al-Aly. “But these challenges are magnified, especially in those who were admitted to the hospital during the acute part of their Covid-19 battle but also in many who experienced only mild or moderate symptoms.”
Compared to those who did not have Covid-19, those in the Covid-19 group had a 60 percent higher risk of having any mental health disorder or mental health-related prescriptions.
Given the large number of people with COVID-19, these findings could translate into a huge impact in the United States and around the world, the authors pointed out.