As the pandemic matures and research floods in, the situation becomes clearer. We now know the aftermath of an infection can last for months, even years. The correlation with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder emerged quite recently. Is this a separate condition, or are Long COVID and PTSD related somehow? An article published by European Respiratory Center caught our attention.
Could PTSD Be a Symptom of Long COVID?
A report in European Respiratory Journal – see link below – identifies PTSD and Depression as outcomes of Long COVID. This appears to be the first long-term study using hospital and patient records. In a nut shell the report says:
- A significant proportion had ongoing mental health issues.
- Some 14% of the sample showed signs of Depression.
- While 11% had symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- The subject’s average age was 60 years, 60% were male.
- Some 48% were of black or minority ethnic background.
The researchers recommend routinely monitoring COVID-19 patients for signs of psychological distress while in care. An article on the Center’s website opened our eyes as they quoted from an interview with a respiratory physician.
“Whilst caring for COVID patients we could see the mental health effects. Patients were terrified by what was happening to them and what they were seeing around them. Many people who have had COVID-19 report adverse mental health after the infection has cleared. But up to now, there have been very few long-term studies focused on this issue.”
More Information About the Research Project
The team conducted a virtual follow-up with 760 patients treated at a single London hospital. Of these, 112 received treatment in the emergency department, while 558 entered inpatient wards. However, the remaining 90 were ill enough to receive intensive care.
Nine weeks later the researchers checked the records of those who were still receiving follow-up care. This was the point when they discovered the incidence of Depression and PTSD we mentioned earlier.
Patients with either of those conditions were more likely to have ongoing physical symptoms, such as breathlessness and muscle pain. They were also less likely to have returned to work at nine weeks’ follow-up, suggesting they had Long COVID too.
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