Cognitive symptoms persisting beyond the acute phase of COVID-19 infection are commonly described for up to 2 years after infection. The relationship between cognitive performance, in particular episodic memory processes observed chronically after infection, and cytokine levels in the acute phase of COVID-19 has not yet been identified in humans. To determine whether the levels of cytokines IL1β, IL-6 and TNFα secreted in the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection are associated and predict verbal and visuospatial episodic memory performance in humans 6 to 9 months and 12 to 15 months post-infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to a higher risk of maternal complications during pregnancy, as well as pregnancy complications such as stillbirth, SARS-CoV-2 contamination during pregnancy is a putative stress factor that could increase the risk of perinatal maternal mental health issues. We included women older than 18 years, who delivered a living baby at the Geneva University Hospitals' maternity wards after 29 weeks of amenorrhea (w.a.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite numerous observations of neuropsychological deficits immediately following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, little is known about what happens to these deficits over time and whether they are affected by changes in fatigue and any psychiatric symptoms. We aimed to assess the prevalence of neuropsychological deficits at 6-9 months and again at 12-15 months after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to explore whether it was associated with changes in fatigue and psychiatric symptoms.
Methods: We administered a series of neuropsychological tests and psychiatric questionnaires to 95 patients (mean age = 57.
The subjective experience of asthma can be accompanied by significant emotional suffering. The presence of psychiatric comorbidities in asthma is common and worsens the prognosis of asthma. Bidirectional relationships between psychiatric disorders and asthma via inflammatory mechanisms are highlighted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol
December 2023
Inefficient ventilatory response during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has been suggested as a cause of post-COVID-19 dyspnea. It has been described in hospitalized patients (HOSP) with lung parenchymal sequelae but also after mild infection in ambulatory patients (AMBU). We hypothesize that AMBU and HOSP have different ventilatory responses to exercise, due to different etiologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlterations of the limbic system may be present in the chronic phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our aim was to study the long-term impact of this disease on limbic system-related behaviour and its associated brain functional connectivity, according to the severity of respiratory symptoms in the acute phase. To this end, we investigated the multimodal emotion recognition abilities of 105 patients from the Geneva COVID-COG Cohort 223 days on average after SARS-CoV-2 infection (diagnosed between March 2020 and May 2021), dividing them into three groups (severe, moderate or mild) according to respiratory symptom severity in the acute phase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychoneuroendocrinology
July 2023
Background: A neurocognitive phenotype of post-COVID-19 infection has recently been described that is characterized by a lack of awareness of memory impairment (i.e., anosognosia), altered functional connectivity in the brain's default mode and limbic networks, and an elevated monocyte count.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry
December 2022
Neuropsychological deficits and brain damage following SARS-CoV-2 infection are not well understood. Then, 116 patients, with either severe, moderate, or mild disease in the acute phase underwent neuropsychological and olfactory tests, as well as completed psychiatric and respiratory questionnaires at 223 ± 42 days postinfection. Additionally, a subgroup of 50 patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Birth-related post-traumatic stress disorder occurs in 4.7% of mothers. No previous study focusing precisely on the stress factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic regarding this important public mental health issue has been conducted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-pharmacological treatments of depression have become more widespread recently, especially for mild to moderate forms of depression. These complementary approaches are particularly interesting for patients who are reluctant to start an antidepressant. Novel approaches are found in psychotherapy, alternative treatments, plant-based treatments as well as the prevention of relapse through the use of digital tools.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Several studies have reported poor long-term neuropsychological performances in patients following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but none has yet considered the effect of administering multiple intercorrelated neuropsychological tests and assessed the frequency of cognitive deficits in a normative population. Our aim was therefore to assess the presence of cumulative neuropsychological deficits in an actual post-coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) comparison group versus one simulated using Monte-Carlo methods.
Method: Validated neuropsychological Monte-Carlo simulation methods were applied to scores from a battery of neuropsychological tests (memory, executive, attentional, perceptual, logical reasoning, language, and ideomotor praxis) administered to 121 patients who had had mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19 (mean age: 56.
COVID-19 had a huge impact on healthcare systems globally. Institutions, care teams and individuals made considerable efforts to adapt their practices. The present longitudinal, mixed-methods study examined a large sample of healthcare institution employees in Switzerland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthcare workers have potentially been among the most exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as the deleterious toll of the pandemic. This study has the objective to differentiate the pandemic toll from post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers compared to the general population. The study was conducted between April and July 2021 at the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthcare workers (HCWs) have significantly suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting a high prevalence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We investigated with this survey whether HCWs benefitted from supportive measures put in place by hospitals and how these measures were perceived. This cross-sectional survey, which was conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 at the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, between May and July 2021, collected information on the use and perception of practical and mental health support measures provided by the hospital.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had a serious impact on global mental health, particularly in intensive care unit survivors. Given the lethal potential and unpredictability of coronavirus disease 2019, a high risk of posttraumatic stress disorder was identified in the beginning of the crisis. There are insufficient details in current literature and no official guidelines available for the treatment and follow-up of acute stress disorder and the prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder for intensive care unit survivors in the context of coronavirus disease 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Persistent symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 are prevalent weeks to months following the infection. To date, it is difficult to disentangle the direct from the indirect effects of SARS-CoV-2, including lockdown, social, and economic factors.
Objective: The study aims to characterize the prevalence of symptoms, functional capacity, and quality of life at 12 months in outpatient symptomatic individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to individuals tested negative.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
April 2022
Background: Prevention and management strategies of mental suffering in healthcare workers appeared as important challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to: (1) show how potential psychiatric disorders for healthcare workers (HCW) during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak were identified; (2) present an activity report of this consultation; and (3) analyze and learn from this experience for the future.
Methods: We performed a retrospective quantitative analysis of socio-demographic and clinical data, in addition to psychiatric scales scores for the main potential psychiatric risks (PDI, PDEQ, PCL-5, HADS, MBI-HSS) and post-hoc qualitative analysis of written interviews.
Lack of awareness of cognitive impairment (i.e. anosognosia) could be a key factor for distinguishing between neuropsychological post-COVID-19 condition phenotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychomotor agitation in somatic units is a medical and psychiatric emergency requiring rapid intervention by the team in charge of the patient and the liaison psychiatrist. Verbal de-escalation is attempted throughout the treatment. Securing the surroundings is needed to protect both the patient and the team.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Med Suisse
February 2022
Perinatal grief should be given special attention for bereaved parents. In the hospital, multidisciplinary support is provided at different times of care. The loss of a pregnancy or a baby can permanently destabilize the couple's relationship and give rise to psychiatric complications in the presence of risk factors, such as pathological bereavement, a major depressive disorder, an anxiety disorder or a post-traumatic stress disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic's first wave required considerable adaptation efforts on the part of healthcare workers. The literature on resilient healthcare describes how the collective regulation strategies implemented by frontline employees make essential contributions to institutions' abilities to cope with major crises. The present mixed-methodology study was thus conducted among a large sample of employees in a variety of Swiss healthcare institutions and focused on problematic real-world situations experienced by them and their managers during the pandemic's first wave.
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