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

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

doi:10.1136/jnnp-2021-328516

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

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

Authors

Matthieu Gasnier^{1

2}, Walid Choucha^{1

2}, Francois Radiguer³, Theo Faulet^{1

2}, Kenneth Chappell^{1

2}, Aurore Bougarel¹, Christian Kondarjian¹, Paul Thorey¹, Antoine Baldacci¹, Maryne Ballerini¹, Abd El Kader Ait Tayeb^{1

2}, Hugo Herrero^{1

2}, Isabelle Hardy-Leger⁴, Olivier Meyrignac⁵, Luc Morin⁶, Anne-Lise Lecoq⁷, Tài Pham⁸, Nicolas Noel⁴, Fabrice Jollant^{1

2}, David Montani⁹, Xavier Monnet⁹, Laurent Becquemont^{2

7}, Emmanuelle Corruble^{10

2}, Romain Colle^{1

2}; COMEBAC study group

Affiliations

¹ Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de Bicêtre, Mood Center Paris Saclay, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris-Saclay, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France.
² MOODS Team, INSERM 1018, CESP (Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Populations), Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France.
³ Service de réanimation chirurgicale, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
⁴ Service de médecine interne et immunologie clinique, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
⁵ Service de radiologie diagnostique et interventionnelle, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
⁶ Service de réanimation pédiatrique et médecine néonatale, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
⁷ Centre de Recherche Clinique, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris-Saclay, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
⁸ Service de médecine intensive-réanimation, hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
⁹ Service de pneumologie et soins intensifs respiratoires, Hopital Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
¹⁰ Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de Bicêtre, Mood Center Paris Saclay, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris-Saclay, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France emmanuelle.corruble@aphp.fr.

PMID: 35953265
DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2021-328516

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.