Researchers have found a link between patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and a lack of mental and physical improvement a year later.
A recent study found that people who were hospitalised with COVID-19, and who continued to experience symptoms five months afterwards, had limited further recovery one year after hospital discharge.
The PHOSP-COVID study, led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, assessed 2,230 adults across the UK who were hospitalised with COVID-19. Recovery was measured using patient-reported data, physical performance and organ function tests.
Researchers from 53 institutions and 83 hospitals found that one year after hospital discharge, less than 3 in 10 patients on the study reported they felt fully recovered, which was consistent with the data at five months.
Participants felt their health-related quality of life remained substantially worse one year after hospital discharge than pre-COVID. This suggests that pre-existing conditions cannot simply explain the physical and mental health issues reported in the study.
An analysis identified four distinct groups based on the severity of physical, mental and cognitive impairments experienced at five months. The number of persistent symptoms was much higher in the ‘very severe’ group than the ‘mild group.
They also found a pattern of substances linked to poor cognition (‘Brain fog’) in a group of patients reporting symptoms such as ‘brain fog’ or slowed thinking, suggesting possible inflammation in the brain.
Professor Chris Brightling, Chief Investigator for the PHOSP-COVID study, said: “When you consider that over half a million people in the UK have been admitted to hospital as a result of COVID-19 infection, we are talking about a sizeable population at risk of persistent ill-health and reduced quality of life.”
MQ’s CEO, Lea Milligan, had this to say,
“The PHOSP study is a clear demonstration of the importance of a holistic and collaborative approach to understanding the full impact of COVID infection. These 12-month findings raise further questions about the impact of Long-COVID, in particular the neuro-cognitive effects, or ‘brain fog’, that many patients are continuing to experience long after initial infection. Thanks to the findings of this study, we can now focus on finding new treatments and solutions for the people most affected.”
We recently spoke with one of the leads of this study, Prof. John Geddes, about the impact COVID-19 has had on our mental health. You can watch our whole conversation here.
